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IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


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Photographic 

Sdences 
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23  WIST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14SS0 

(716)  S72-4S03 


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CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Instituta  for  Historical  Microreproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductions  historiques 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notas/Notat  tachniquas  at  bibliographiquas 


Tha  Instituta  has  attamptad  to  obtain  tha  bast 
original  copy  availabia  for  filming.  Faaturas  of  this 
copy  which  may  ba  bibliographically  unique, 
which  may  alter  any  of  the  images  in  the 
reproduction,  or  which  may  significantly  change 
the  usual  method  of  filming,  are  checked  below. 


D 


D 


D 
D 


D 


Coloured  covers/ 
Couverture  de  couleur 


I      I    Covers  damaged/ 


Couverture  endommag^a 


Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restaur6e  et/ou  pellicul6e 


I      I    Cover  title  missing/ 


Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 


I      I    Coloured  maps/ 


Cartes  g6ographiques  en  couleur 


□    Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 

I      I    Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations/ 


D 


Planches  et/ou  illustrations  en  couleur 

Bound  with  other  material/ 
Reli6  avec  d'autres  documents 

Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion 
along  interior  margin/ 

La  re  liure  serrde  peut  causer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  la 
distortion  la  long  da  la  marge  intirieure 

Blank  leaves  added  during  restoration  may 
appear  within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  Vye<e 
have  been  omitted  from  filming/ 
II  se  peut  que  certaines  pages  blanches  ajout6es 
lors  d'une  res^auration  apparaissant  dans  le  texte, 
mais,  lorsqua  cela  6tait  possible,  ces  pages  n'ont 
pas  6t6  filmdas. 

Additional  comments:/ 
Commentaires  suppldmentairGS; 


L'Institut  a  microfiimd  le  meilleur  exemplaire 
qu'il  lui  a  6t6  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  details 
da  cat  exemplaire  qui  sont  paut-Atre  uniques  du 
point  de  vue  bibliographique,  qui  peuvent  modifier 
une  image  reproduite,  ou  qui  psuv'>nt  exiger  una 
modification  dans  la  m^thoda  normale  de  filmage 
sont  indiqu6s  ci-dessous. 


I      I   Coloured  pages/ 


D 

0 


Pages  de  couleur 

Pages  damaged/ 
Pages  endommag^as 

Pages  restored  and/oi 

Pages  restaurdes  et/ou  peliiculAes 

Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxe( 
Pages  ddcoiordes,  tachatdes  ou  piquAes 

Pages  detached/ 
Pages  d6tach6es 

Showthrough/ 
Transparence 

Quality  of  prir 

Quality  in^gaie  de  I'impression 

Includes  supplementary  matarif 
Comprand  du  mat6riel  suppidmentaira 


I      I  Pages  damaged/ 

|~~|  Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 

[~J|  Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 

I      I  Pages  detached/ 

r^  Showthrough/ 

I      I  Quality  of  print  varies/ 

I      I  Includes  supplementary  material/ 


Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Edition  disponible 

Pages  wholly  or  p&rtially  obscured  by  errata 
slips,  tissues,  etc.,  have  been  ref limed  to 
ensure  the  best  possible  image/ 
Les  pages  totalement  ou  partiellement 
obscurcies  par  un  feuillet  d'errata,  une  peiure, 
etc.,  ont  6X6  fiim^es  d  nouveau  de  fagon  d 
obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 


The  C( 
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Tha  copy  fiimad  hara  has  baan  raproducad  thanks 
to  tha  ganarosity  off: 

National  Library  off  Canada 


Tha  imagas  appearing  hara  ara  tha  bast  quality 
possible  considering  the  condition  and  legibility 
of  the  original  copy  and  in  keeping  with  the 
ffilming  contract  specifications. 


L'exemplaire  fllm6  ffut  reproduit  grflce  A  la 
gAnirositd  da: 

Bibliothiqua  natlonale  du  Canada 


Las  Images  suivantas  ont  *t6  reproduites  avac  la 
plus  grand  soin,  compta  tenu  de  la  condition  et 
de  la  natteti  de  l'exemplaire  flimA.  et  en 
conformity  avac  las  conditions  du  contra^,  da 
ffilmage. 


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Original  copies  in  printed  paper  covers  ara  ffilmed 
beginning  with  the  ffront  cover  and  ending  on 
the  last  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, or  the  back  cover  when  appropriate.  All 
other  original  copies  are  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  page  with  a  printed  or  iiiustrated  impres- 
sion, and  ending  on  the  last  page  with  a  printed 
or  illustrated  Impression. 


Les  exempialres  origlnaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  ImprlmAe  sont  fiim6s  en  commenpant 
par  la  premier  plat  et  en  terminant  soit  par  ia 
dernlire  page  qui  comporta  una  amprelnte 
d'impression  ou  d'iilustration,  soit  par  la  second 
plat,  salon  la  cas.  Tous  las  autras  exempiairas 
origlnaux  sont  fiimte  en  comme  .gant  par  ia 
premiere  page  qui  comporta  una  amprelnte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  dernlAre  page  qui  comporta  una  telle 
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The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
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TINUED"), or  the  symbol  y  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 


Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaltra  sur  la 
dernidre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  seion  le 
cas:  la  symboia  — ►  signiffie  "A  SUIVRE  ".  le 
symbols  y  signiffie  "FIN". 


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Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
diffferent  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  In  one  exposure  are  ffilmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  lefft  hand  corner,  lefft  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  fframes  as 
required.  The  ffoilowing  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


Les  cartas,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  6tre 
fflim6s  A  des  taux  de  reduction  difff6rents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  Atra 
reproduit  en  un  seui  cliche,  11  est  ffiimi  A  partir 
de  i'angia  supArleur  gauche,  de  gauche  d  droite, 
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TERRIlOHi   OF  AI<ASKA. 


TNITED  ST  ATI. :s— AND  iX  VA*.  iTIUJi 

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TRAVEL  AND  ADVENTURE 


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TERRITORY  OF  ALASKA, 


FORMERLY  RUSSIAN  AMERICA— NOW  CEDED  TO  THE 

UNITED  STATES— AND  IN  VARIOUS  OTHER 

PARTS  OF  THE  NORTH  TACmC. 


By  FREDERICK   WHYMPER. 


Ill     'Nf_ 

WITH  MAP  AND  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


NEW    YORK: 
HARPER    &    BROTHERS,    PUBLISHERS, 

FBANKLIN     SQUAB  E. 
187    I. 


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TO 


SIR  ROCERICE  I.  MURCHISON,  BART,  K.C.B, 

D.C.L.,   LL.D.,   F.R.8.,  ETC., 

PEBSIDENT  OF  THE  EOYAL  GEOGRAPHICAL  SOCIETY,  AND  FOREIGN 
ASSOCIATE  OF  THE  INSTITUTE  OF  FRANCE 


IN  ADMIRATION  OF  HIS  GREAT  SCIENTIFIC  ATTAINMENTS, 

AND  AS  A  GRATEFUL  ACKNOWLEDGMENT  OF 

MUCH  KINDNESS  SHOWN  TO 


THE  AUTHOR. 


if 


PREFACE. 


So  little  is  known  of  the  interior  of  Russian  America, 
that  I  trust  even  this  imperfect  and  meagre  narrative  may 
prove  not  altogether  uninteresting.  A  large  portion  of  these 
pages  refers  to  a  journey  made  in  the  Yukon  region,  which 
though  containing  one  of  the  grandest  streams  on  the  North 
American  continent,  has  hitherto  remained  almost  unno- 
ticed. Sir  John  Tichardson,  indeed,  when  on  the  Macken- 
zie, collected  some  information  respecting  it,  but  never  vis- 
ited any  portion  of  it,  while  the  travels  of  Zagoskin,  of  the 
Russian  Imperial  Navy,  have  never  been  popularly  known. 

This  country  has  recently  acquired  some  notice  from  it»s 
transfer  to  the  United  States  Government,  and  within  a  few 
years  we  shall  doubtless  hear  more  of  it.  The  natives  have 
been  hitherto  so  isolated  from  civilization,  that  perhaps  in 
no  other  part  of  America  can  the  "  red-skin  "  be  seen  to  great- 
er perfection.     In  a  few  generations  he  will  be  extinct. 

"  Alaska  Territory  " — the  title  by  which  the  whole  of 
Russian  America  is  to  be  known  in  future — though  as  good 
a  name  as  any  other,  is  founded,  appai-ently,  on  a  miscon- 
ception. It  seems  to  have  been  derived  from  the  title  of 
that  long  peninsula  (Aliaska)  with  which  we  are  all  familiar 
on  the  map,  but  the  title  does  not  properly  belong  to  the 
whole  territory. 

I  have  before  me  a  "  Report  on  the  Resources  of  Iceland 
and  Greenland,"  issued  this  year  (1868)  by  the  State  De- 
partment at  Washington.  It  was  compiled,  at  the  desire  of 
the  Hon.  W.  11.  Seward,  by  B.  M.  Peirco,  Esq.  From  that 
production  I  glean  that  the  United  States  Government, 
so  far  from  regretting  the  purchase  of  Alaska,  are  almost 


Zll 


r  U  E  V  ACE. 


ready  to  bid  for  Iceland  and  Greenland  1     Mr.  Seward's 
mania  for  icebergs  and  snow-fields  seems  insatiable. 

The  ojjcning  chapters  contain  some  earlier  reminiscences 
of  British  Columbia  and  Vancouver  Island,  while  in  the 
concluding  pages  I  have  attempted  to  sketch  Calilbrnia  of 
our  own  time.  I  have  also  briefly  recorded  some  visits 
paid  by  me  to  the  eastern  coasts  of  Siberia  and  Kamchatka. 

Some  of  the  most  pleasant  days  of  my  life  were  spent 
with  the  two  expeditions  with  which!  have  been  connect- 
ed ;  and  of  many  of  my  old  friends  and  companions  I  shall 
ever  think  with  much  kindness.  To  Colonel  Bulkley,  En- 
gineer-in-chief of  the  liusso- American  Telegraph  Expedi- 
tion ;  to  Captain  Scamrnon  (U.  S.  Revenue  Service) ;  and 
to  my  good  friends  Messrs.  Wright,  Chappel,  and  Lewis,  all 
American  gentlemen  with  whom  it  was  a  pleasure  to  be 
connected,  I  am  indebted  for  courtesies  which  it  would  be 
difficult  for  me  to  sufficiently  acknowledge. 

To  the  President  and  Council  of  the  Royal  Geographical 
Society  I  am  specially  obliged  for  the  use  of  the  map,  illus- 
trating the  course  of  the  Yukon,  etc.,  which  is  to  appear  in 
their  "  Journal "  in  connection  with  the  paper  contributed 
by  me.  To  Mr.  Arrowsmith,  for  the  trouble  he  has  taken 
to  work  out  the  crude  material  laid  before  him ;  to  Mr.  H. 
W.  Bates  and  Captain  George ;  to  Mr.  Murray,  and  to  my 
father  and  brother,  for  their  constant  and  kind  assistance,  I 
can  not  be  too  grateful. 

The  illustrations  are  taken,  with  but  two  exceptions, 
from  the  original  sketches  made  on  the  spot;  they  have 
gained  considerably  in  the  hands  of  my  friends,  Messrs. 
Skelton,  Mahoney,  and  Zwecker.  The  portrait  of  an  Aht 
native  (Vancouver  Island),  page  74,  has  been  copied  from 
an  excellent  photograph  by  Mr.  Gentile,  now  of  San  Fran- 
cisco; and  the  picture  of  a  Tchuktchi  house,  page  112,  is 
from  a  photograph  by  Mr.  Ryder,  who  was  for  the  season 
of  1866  attached  to  the  Telegraph  Expedition. 


CONTENTS. 

CIIAlTKIl  I. 

THE    VOVAOE   OUT. 

Leaving  England. — Onr  Passengers.— Old  Mo'.— Freight  for  the  matrimo- 
niiil  Maricct. — Storm  on  board. — Mutiny. — Volunteer  coal-heaving. — 
Falkland  Inlands.— Port  Stanley.— Tho  Horn.— Out  of  Coal.— San  Fran- 
cisco.— The  Straits  of  Fuca. — Cook. — Vancouver. — Juan  de  Fuca. — 
Victoria. — Cariboo  Mines. — The  Oold. — The  Discoverers  of  William's 
deck. — JourDalism  on  the  Pacific P'tgi  21 

CHAPTER  II. 

THE   GLACIERS   OF   BUTE    INLET,   BRITISH   COLUMBIA. 

The  Mountains  of  British  Columbia  and  adjacent  Coasts. — Bute  Inlet.— 
Chilicoten  Indians. — A  "Blow-up." — Indian  Packets. — Route  through 
the  Forest. — Indian  Guide. — Chinook  Jargon. — Trackless  Forests. — 
Lost  in  the  Woods. — The  glacier  Streams. — Camp. — Great  Glacier. — 
Description. — Return  Journey. — Second  Glacier SG 

CHAPTER  ni. 

THE   TRAOEDT    AMONG    THE   GLACIERS. 

Reported  Murder.— Canoe-trip  on  the  Sea.— Dodd's  Narrows.— Island  on 
Fire.— The  Massacre  at  Bute  Inlet.— Reports  of  Survivors.— Second  Mas- 
sacre.—Excitement  in  the  Colony.— Expeditions  in  Search  of  the  In- 
dians.—Capture  of  a  Part  of  the  Murderers.— The  Ideal  and  Real  In- 
dian.—His  ultimate  Extinction.— Reasons  for  it.— Indian  Traders.- 
Proposed  semi-secular,  semi-missionary  Settlements. — The  Mission  at 
Mctlakahtla 48 


son 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE    INTERIOR   OP   VANCOUVER'S   ISLAND. 

Pleasures  of  Labor. — Unknown  Interior  of  Vancouver  Island. — Expedition 
organized. — Cowichan  River. — Somenos. — Kakalatza  and  his  Hat-box. — 
Travel  up  the  River. — Our  Camps. — Camp  Yarns. — Indian  Version  of  the 
Book  of  Jonah. — Cowichan  Lake. — Rafting  Experiences. — The  "  Ram- 
pant Raft." — Brown's  Camp. — Acquisition  of  a  Canoe 61 


XIV 


Contents. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE   INTERlOIt   OP   VANCOUVER   ISLAND, 

Nittinant.— "  Whyack. "— The  Indians.— Aht  Tribes.— The  Breakers.— 
Port  San  Juan. — [ndian  Yarn. — Sooke. — Basin  and  Itiver. — Discovery 
of  Goiu. — Gold  on  Queen  Charlotte's  Island. — Nanaimo. — Coal-seam 
at  Comox. — Ascent  of  Puntledge  River. — Wreck  of  Canoe. — Interior 
Lakes. — Barclay  Sound. — Game  List. — Camp-marks Page  73 


\ 


CHAPTER  VI. 

ALASKA   TERUITORY. 

Acquisition  of  Russian  America  by  the  United  States. — American  Criticisms 
on  the  Purchase. —  Coal  and  gold  Discoveries. —  Mock  Advertise- 
ments.— America  for  the  Americans. — Geographical  Literature  of  the 
Pacific— Of  Russian  America. — The  Treaty. — W.  U.  Telegraph  Expedi- 
tion.— Its  Organizntion. — Preference  for  young  Men 86 

CHAPTER  VII. 

A  VISIT   TO  THE   CAPITAL   OF   ALASKA. 

« 

The  Voyage. — Sitka  Sound  and  Harbor. — BaranofF. — Early  History. — ^The 
Town.  —  Water  Supply.  -  -  Agriculture.  — Former  Russian  Settlements 
in  California. — Russian  American  Company. — The  Fisheries. — Kalosh 
Indians.  —  Our  Experiences  of  Russian  Hospitality.  —  Sitka  in  new 
Hands. — Two  Sundays  in  a  Week. — Kodiak  loe. — Formal  Transfer  of 
Alaska 93 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

VOTAGE   IN   THE   NORTH   PACIFIC. 

1S65. 

Departure  from  Sitka. — Oukamok. — Ounga. — Breakers  ahead! — Volca- 
noes in  Ounimak  Pass. — St.  Michael's,  Norton  Sound,  Alaska. — Sound- 
ings of  Behring  Sea. — Plover  Bay,  Eastern  Siberia. — The  Tchuktchis. — 
Tents. — Canoes. —  Tchuktchi  Strength. —  Children, — The  irrepressible 
"  Naukum."— Native's  Idea  of  the  Telegraph.— The  "Shenandoah" 
Pirate. — Avatcha  Bay 107 

CHAPTER  IX. 

PETROPAULOVSKI   AND   OUR   RETURN  VOYAGE   TO   SAN   FRANCISCO. 

The  Harbor. —  Town. —  Monuments. —  The  Fur-trade. — Kamchatka  gen- 
erally.—The  Volcanoes.— The  Attack  of  the  Allies  in  18.'54,— Their  Re- 
turn in  18.'5r>.— The  "General  Teste."— Rejoin  the  Steamer  "Wright." 
—Gale. — Incidents  of  Storm. — Covert's  "Smoke-stack" 118 


Contents. 


XV 


CHAPTER  X. 

VOTAGE   IN   THE   NORTH  PACIFIC. 
ISGG. 

Organization  of  the  Expedition. — Thirsty  medical  Man. — Our  Fleet. — 
Voyage. —  Petropaulovski  again. —  The  Russian  Corvette. —  Russian 
Wedding. —  Heat. —  International  Picnic. —  Voyage  nortli. —  Behring's 
Voyages.. —  Shipwreck. —  Death  of  Behring. —  Gulf  of  Anadyr. —  The 
"  wandering  Tchuktchis' Page  132 

CHAPTER  XL 

THE   ANADYR   RIVER   AND   PLOVER   BAT,   EASTERN   SIBERIA. 

Tchuktchi  with  Letter  of  Recommendation. — Boat  Expedition  to  the  River. 
— Our  Explorers. — Their  Experiences. — The  Anadyr  River. — Tchuktchi 
Thieves. — Plover  Bay. — Nau-kum  again. — Advertising  in  Behring  Straits. 
— Telegraph  Station  erected. — Foraging  with  a  Vengeance. — Whaling. 
— Norton  Sound. — Alaska. — Death  of  Major  Kennicott 143 


93 


CHAPTER  XH. 

RUSSIAN  AND   INDIAN   8BTTLEMENTS. — NORTON   80DND. 

St.  Michael's.— The  Fort  and  its  Inhabitants.— The  "Provalishik."— 
Russian  Steam-bath. — "Total  Immersion." — The  Island. — Incident  of 
Break-up  of  Ice. — Arrival  of  dead  Indian  Sledge-driver. — Steam-boat 
tri]). — Steamer  laid  up. — Russian  Post  at  Unalachleet. — Malcmute  and 
Kavoak  Indians. — Skin  Clothing. — Intertribal  Commerce. — Trade  with 
the  Tchuktchis. — Under-ground  Houses. — Fishing  through  the  Ice. .  152 


107 


tten- 

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it." 

1118 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

UNALACHLEET, — NORTON  SOUND. 

Indian  Town-hall.— Preparations  for  Dance.— Smoke-consuming  Indians. — 
Feast. — Dance. — Chorus. — The  Malemutesand  Kaveaks.— The  Chiefs. — 
"Parka  Mania."  — Erection  of  Quarters.  —  Preparations  for  Sledge- 
journey 1G5 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

SLEDGE-JOURNEY    TO   THE    YUKON. 

Routes  to  the  Yukon. — Sledges  and  Dogs. — Our  Start. — Our  Party. — Una- 
lachleet River. — Brought  to  a  Stand-still. — Dogs  desert. — Ingelcte  In- 
dians.— Under-ground  Houses,  etc. — Beans  versus  Rico. — Indian  Clean- 
liness.— Medical  Aid. — Ulukuk. — The  River. — Indian  Trading 171 


XVI 


Contents. 


CHAPTER  XV. 


SLEnoE-jouRNEY  TO  THE  YUKOx — Continued. 

Cross  the  Ulukuk  River. — Walking  on  Snow-shoes. — Ulukuk  Mountains. — 
Land  travelling. — Versola  Sofka. — Patent  Camp. — Our  frczen  Breath. 
— Indian  Honesty. — Tho  Use  of  Snow-shoes. — Warm  Springs. — First 
Glimpse  of  the  Yukon.— Coltog.— Old  "  Stareek."— Travel  on  the  Yu- 
kon.— Alikoff 's  "  Barabba." — Meet  a  Russian  Sledge-train. — Arrival  at 
Nulato Page  182 

^  CHAPTER  XVI. 

LIFE   AT  NDLATO. — YUKON  RIVER. 

First  Explorers  of  the  Yukon. — Nulato. — Our  Quarters. — Water-sledge. — 
Fish-traps. — Winter  Sketching. — Frozen  Provisions. — Coldest  Day. — 
Departure  of  a  Sledge-train. — Dinner-party. — Indian  Arrivals. — Short- 
est Day. — Merry  Christmas. — Bill  of  Fare. — Aurora. — Temperatures. — 
Supplies. — Principal  Winter  Trip  of  our  Explorers 193 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

THE   CO-YOKON   INDIANS. 

Co-yukon  Tribe. — Fashions. — The  Nulato  Massacre. — Incidents  of  the 
Attack. — Indian  Murders. — Mourning  Observances. — "  Wake." — Four- 
post  Coffins. — Superstitions. — "  Corralling  "  deer. — News  travels  fast. — 
Furs  and  Trading. — Indian  Women. — Indian  "  Goggles." — Children's 
Dolls 204 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

CANOE   JOURNEY. — ASCENT  OF   THE   YUKON. 

Spring. — Thaw. — Break-up  of  the  Yukon. — Preparations  for  Journey. — 
Our  Canoes. — Start. — Dangerous  Condition  of  River. — Its  Size. — 
Current. —  Perilous  Navigation. —  Submerged  Islands. —  Co-yukuk. — 
Birch-bark  Fleet. — Sachertelontin. -^Lagoon. — Newicargut. — Purchase 
of  Supplies. —  Tooth-brush  Experiences. —  Medicine-making. —  Indian 
Dissipation. — Child's  birch-bark  Chair 216 


-ASCENT   OF   THE   YUKON. 


CHAPTER  XIX 
CANOE  JOURNEY  (^continued) 

Meet  a  Deserter. — Indian  Taste  for  "  Nigger"  Minstrelsy. — Tracking. — La- 
goon.— Piles  of  Drift-wood. — Nuclukayette. — Unsophisticated  Indians. — 
Ceremony. — Leave  the  Russians. — The  Indian's  Head. — Mountain 
Gorge  —  Indian  Dogs.  —  Canoe  Leak. — The  Rapids. — The  "Ram- 
parts."— Moose-hunting. — Islands. — Overhanging  Banks. — Shallows. — 
Shortest  Night.  —  First  English  Indians. — Porcupine  River. — Fort 
Yukon 234 


I 


Contents.  xvii 

CHAPTER  XX. 

FORT    YUKON. 

Return  of  the  Commander  and  Missionary.  —  Information  received  from 
them. — Mackenzie  and  the  Yukon. — The  Indians. — Numerous  Tribes. — 
The  Furs. — Fictitious  Black  Fox. — Missionary  Work. — Return  of  our 
Explorers  from  the  Upper  Yukon. — Fort  Yukon  Sledges,  etc.  Page  25 1 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

DESCENT   OF   THE    YUKON. 

Drifting  down  the  Stream.— Yukon  Salmon. — Arrival  at  Nulato. — Over- 
dose of  Arsenic  and  Alcohol. — Trip  resumed. — Indian  Music. — Anvic. — 
The  Mission. — Earthquake  on  the  Water. — Andreavski. — The  Mouths 
of  the  Yukon. — Smith's  Observations. — Pastolik. — St.  Michael's. — Prog- 
ress of  the  Telegraph. — Frozen  Soil. — Scurvy. — Arrival  of  our  Bark. — 
Plover  Bay. — Return  to  San  Francisco 262 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

THE   VALUE    OF   ALASKA. — THE   ORIGIN  OP   THE   ESQUIMAUX   OP 
NORTHERN   ALASKA   AND   GREENLAND 

The  Value  of  Alaska. — Tlie  Furs  and  Fisheries. — The  Purchase  an  Act  of 
Justice  to  Russia. — Tlie  Aleutian  Islands. — Volcanoes. — Bogoslov  Isl- 
and.— The  Asiatic  Origin  of  the  Esquimaux. — The  Tchuktchis. — Sea- 
going Canoes. — The  Voyages  of  two  Japanese  Junks. — The  connecting 
Links  between  the  Tchuktchis  and  the  Esquimaux. — Language. — De- 
generation of  the  Esquimaux. — Community  of  Goods. — The  "  Scha- 
man"  and  the  "Angekok." 274 


ise 
Ian 

he 


La- 


|>rt 


CHAPTER  XXHL 

W.  U.  TELEGRAPH  EXPLORATIONS  IN  ASIA. 

Major  Abasa  appointed  Chief. — Arrival  in  Petropaulovski. — Travels  in  Kam- 
chatka.—  Ghijega. — The  Town,  etc. — Route  between  Ghijega  and 
Ochotsk. —  The  Explorations  of  Mahood  and  Bush. —  Nicolaiefski, 
Mouth  of  the  Amoor. — ^Travel  to  Ochotsk. — Reindeer-riding. — The 
Tunguse. — Ayan. — Ochotsk. — M'Creaand  Arnold's  Wanderings  among 
the  Tchuktchis. — Anadyrsk 286 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

CALIFORNIA. 

California  in  1849. — To-day. — Agricultural  Progress. — Wine  Manufacture. 
— Climate. — Lower  California. — San  Francisco. — No  Paper-money. — 
Coinage. — Growth. — General  Prosperity, — Scarcity  of  Labor. — Hiring 

B 


XVlll 


Contents. 


a  Domestic. — Luxuries  of  the  Land. — "  The  Mission." — Hotel  Carte. — 
Home  for  the  Inebriates. — Immigration  desired. — Newspapers. — Cliinese 
Poimlation. — "  John's  "  Status. — John  as  a  Miner. — Dead  Chinamc  n. — 
Celestia  Entertainment. — Merchant's  Tigtail Page  297 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

CALIFORNIA — continued. 

San  Francisco  Society. — Phraseology. — Ladies  of  Fr'isco. — Sunday  in  the 
City. — Free  Criti«;ism  on  Parsons. — Site. — Steep  Streets. — San  Fran- 
cisco Calves. — Earthquakes.  —  House-moving. — Fire  Companies. — 
"  Wells,  Fargo  &  Co.'s  Express." — The  three-cent  Stamps. — The  Men  of 
the  Pacific 309 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

CALIFORNIA   AS   A   FIELD   FOR   IMMIGRATION. 

Early  American  Opinions  of  the  Country. — California  Steamers. — The  Pub- 
lic Lands. — Extent.—  Trice. — Labor. — Wages. — The  Wine  Interests. — 
Table  of  Temperatures. — Vineyards,  etc. — Classes  suitable  for  Immi- 
grants.— Education. — Schools. — School-ma  ams. — Investments ....  319 


APPENDIX. 


I. — ^TiiE  Proposed  Overland  Route  from  the  Atlantic  to  the 

Pacific,  through  British  Territory 333 

II.— The  W.  U.  Telegraph  Scheme 33G 

in. —Notes  on  Sitka 338 

IV. — Port  Clarence,  Northern  Alaska 339 

V. — Indian  Dialects  of  Northern  Alaska 341 

VI. — Notes  on  the  Geology  op  the  Yukon 351 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Auroral  Light  seen  from  Nuliito,  Yukon  llivcr,  Dec.  27,  18G6 Frontispiece. 

Vignette — Loading  a  sledge  in  Alaska Titk-pwje. 

Map — the  course  of  the  Yukon,  etc To  face  Chap.  I. 

PAOE 

The  Great  Glacier,  Bute  Inlet 43 

Island  forest  conflagration  in  the  Gulf  of  Georgia 51 

The  "Raft  Rampant" 69 

Aht  native,  west  coast  of  Vancouver  Island 75 

Example  of  mask  worn  by  Aht  natives  of  Vancouver  Island 77 

Camp  with  "blaze"  or  camp-mark 85 

Sitka,  or  New  Archangel,  capital  of  Alaska 95 

Kalosh  Indian  grave-boxes 101,  102 

Indian  stone-carving,  representing  a  Russian  soldier  at  Sitka 105 

Tchuktchi  skin  canoe — Frame-work  of  Tchuktehi  house 112 

Tchuktchi  pipe 115 

Petropaulovski,  Kamchatka 119 

Monument  to  Behring,  Petropaulovski 121 

The  volcanoes  of  Koriatski,  Avatcha,  and  Koseldskai,  Kamchatka 123 

Fort  St.  Michael's,  or  Michaelovski 153 

Malemute  native 159 

Malemute  skin  clothing 160 

Malemute  pipe 166 

Diagram  of  under-ground  house 175 

Snow-shoe 182 

Arrival  at  the  Frozen  Yukon 188 

Fish-traps  on  the  Yukon 195 

Co-yukon  four-post  coffin 208» 

A  Co-yukon  deer  corral 210 

Co-yukon  goggles 214 

The  Yukon  River  at  the  break-up  of  the  ice 222 

Indian  summer  encampment,  Newicargut,  Yukon  River •. 227 

Yukon  fire-bag,  knife,  and  sheath,  etc 230 

Indian  child's  birch-bark  chair 233 

Tanana  Indian 238 

Moose-hunting  in  the  Yukon  River 244 

Yukon  Indian's  knife; 247 

Fort  Yukon,  Hudson's  Bay  Coni|iauy's  Post 250 

Fort  Yukon  sledge  (loaded) 261 


mouth.    A  few  HSuH-nr£S-r7tFe^« 


waves,"  to  use  an  ex- 


lat                        m                         MO                        Ik*                        u*            I           iSp             I            '^             i     ,       '*"  I 

.X.lA.L  ■L^.L-iJj    iT-i-.L-i    I     1         I     I     I     I     > 1.    1  .l-l.  L,..,-l  ,Li   i-a-t-a-i-i  -Li-  !.-i    -e-M .     t     I     i     I 


I    I 


MC 


U& 


W4 


10S 


TRAVEL 'AND    ADVENTURE 

IN    TllE 

TERRITORY    OF    ALASKA. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE    VOYAGE    OUT. 

Leaving  England. — Our  Passongcrs.— Old  Mo'. — Freight  for  the  mntrinao. 
nial  Market, — Storm  on  lioimL — Mutiny. — Volunteer  eoal-heaving. — 
Falkland  Islands.— Port  Stanley. — The  Horn. — Out  of  Coal. — San  Fran- 
ciseo. — The  Straits  of  Fuea. — Cook. — Vaneouver. — Juan  dc  Fucn. — 
Victoria. — Cariboo  Mines. — The  (Jold. — The  Discoverers  of  \ViUiam'.s 
Creek. — Journalism  on  the  Paeilic. 

In  1862,  the  Pacific  coast,  and  especially  British  Co- 
lumbia, attracted  much  attention  at  home.  Having,  thank 
God,  like  a  good  proportion  of  my  countrymen,  a  little  su- 
perfluous energy — which  was  then  lying  fallow — I  deter- 
mined to  see  something  of  those  coasts,  and  accordingly 
commenced  getting  together  my  traps  for  the  voyage.  I 
need  not  say  that  I  laid  in  a  stock  of  things  said  to  bo 
"portable,"  essential,  or  absolutely  "indispensable,"  and 
that  the  larger  part  of  them  proved  to  be  exactly  the  re- 
verse. Such,  I  take  it,  is  the  experience  of  most  young 
travellers.  On  the  6th  June  of  the  above-mentioned  year 
— with  some  slight  feelings  of  regret,  it  must  be  admitted — 
we  left  the  Thames;  and  on  the  9th  saw  the  last  of  Old 
England's  shores,  after  a  brief  halt  at  peaceful,  sleepy  Dart- 
mouth.    A  few  hours  later,  the  "  waves,"  to  use  an  ex- 


M 


22 


Leaving  Knulam). 


* 


pnissioii  of  LiiriKirtino's  vvlion  starting  on  a  cruise  in  the 
Mcditvrrjiiu'jui,  "  liiul  our  dostiiiii.'s  in  tlii'ir  power,'' uml 
made  us  awiiro  of  the  fjict. 

*'  VViudtf  are  riulu  in  Uihcay'ti  HlccpleHa  buy  ;" 

At  hast  wc  found  them  ro,  for  a  breeze  increased  into  n 
gale  helure  wo  were  clear  of  its  outer  waters.  Our  craft 
WAS  a  stanch  iron-screw  steamer,  the  "Tynenioutli,"  which 
liad  won  a  good  reputation  during  the  Crimean  War  by 
weathering  out  that  terrible  storni  in  the  IJlack  Sea  in 
which  so  many  vessels  (including  the  "  lUack  Prince") 
were  lost.  We  were  bound  for  Vancouver  Island,  /"/(/  the 
Horn,  and  expected  to  call  at  one  or  two  ports  by  the  way. 
On  board  were  some  three  hundred  passengei'S,  two-thirds 
of  whom  showed  a  total  loss  of  dignity  and  self-respect 
during  these  early  days,  and  made  our  vessel  much  resem- 
ble a  floating  hospital.  But  there  is  an  end  to  all  things : 
and  by  the  time  we  reached  the  tropics,  our  friends  had 
recov(Ted  their  appetites,  and,  clad  in  light  attire,  lounged, 
smoking,  chatting,  and  reading  under  the  awnings,  giving 
our  decks  the  appearance  of  a  nautical  picnic.  Our  pas- 
sengers were  a  study  in  themselves.  They  included  a 
number  of  young  men,  much  too  large  a  proportion  of 
whom  had  apparently  no  profession,  business,  or  definite 
aim  in  life,  to  auger  well  for  their  future  career  in  a  new 
country.  Still,  most  branches  were  represented  —  from 
farmers,  tradesmen,  and  mechanics,  to  lawyeis,  artists,  and 
literary  men.  The  greatest  character  on  board  was  a  ven- 
erable Jew,  generally  known  as  "Old  Mo'."  He  was  an 
Israelite  of  the  conventional  stage  type,  and  did  not  neglect 
turning  a  penny  by  selling  to  the  passengers  stale  lemons 
and  bad  cigars,  or  by  organizing  raffles  and  mock  auctions. 
Toward  the  end  of  the  voyage  he  purchased  all  the  odds 
and  ends  on  which  be  could  lay  his  hands,  offering  the 


OUU     rASSKN(}KUS. 


2.*; 


"InglK'stch  prislie  for  old  closhc  and  /liowi'llry;"  aiul  with 
tliL'Hu  h(!  [ifLerwurd  stocked  i\  Hiiudl  shop  in  Victoriii.  Moses, 
like  Shylock,  had  much  to  stand  in  gibes  and  sneers,  but 
bore  it  "  with  a  patient  shrug." 

Our  most  noticeable  living  freii^ht  was,  however,  an 
"invoice"  of  sixty  young  ladies,  destined  for  the  coloniji! 
and  matrimonial  market.  They  had  been  sent  out  by  a 
home  society,  under  the  watchful  care  of  a  clergyman  and 
matron ;  and  they  must  have  passed  the  dreariest  three 
months  of  their  existence  on  board,  for  they  were  isolated 
from  the  rest  of  the  passengers,  and  could  only  look  on  at 
the  fun  and  amusements  in  which  every  one  else  could  take 
a  part.  Every  benevolent  effort  deserves  respect;  but, 
from  personal  observation,  I  can  not  honestly  recommend 
such  a  mode  of  supplyitig  the  demands  of  a  colony.  Half 
of  them  married  soon  after  rirrival  or  went  into  service,  but 
a  large  proportion  quickly  went  to  the  bad,  and,  fiom  ap- 
pearances, had  been  there  before.  The  influence  of  but  a 
few  such  on  the  more'res))ectable  girls  could  not  have  been 
otherwise  than  detrimental.  To  speak  ungallantly,  but 
truly,  many  of  these  ladies  were  neither  young  7wr  beau- 
tiful, and  reminded  me  of  the  crowd  who  answered  the  ad- 
vertisement in  the  farce  of  "Wanted  10,000  ^Milliners!" 
Of  course  much  might  be  said  about  giving  the  poor  crea- 
tures a  chance!  but  the  fact  is  that  the  market  would,  m 
the  course  of  affairs,  more  naturally  supply  itself.  The 
prosperous  settler  would  send  for  his  sweetheart,  or  come 
home  in  search  of  one,  and  could  always  get  suitable  do- 
mestics sent  out  by  his  friends,  and  meet  tliem  at  the  port 
of  arrival.  It  will  be  readily  understood  too,  that  in  a  new 
country  there  is  a  floating  population,  among  whom  some 
individuals  by  "chance"  or  by  industry  have  acquired  a 
little  money,  and  are  ready  to  plunge  into  matrimony  on 
the  slightest  provocation ;  while  there  is  also  a  large  pro- 


24 


Mutiny  on  Board. 


portion  of  "black  sheep,"  who  are  quite  ready  to  amuse 
themselves  at  the  expense  of  the  poor  girls. 

We  were  beginning  to  find  life  somewhat  tedious,  when 
a  storm  arose  on  board  that  altered  the  aspect  of  affairs.  In 
common  with  a  large  proportion  of  ships — as  far  as  my  ex- 
perience goes — we  were  considerably  undermanned,  and 
the  overworked  crew  rebelled.  They  came  aft  to  the  cap- 
tain, and  a  scene  ensued  in  which  very  high  words  passed, 
and  at  length  one  of  the  more  daring  mutineers  "  planted" 
(to  use  the  language  of  the  fraternity)  a  blow  between  the 
skipper's  "peepers,"  which  brought  the  "claret"  very  free- 
ly from  his  nose.  In  consequence,  the  fiat  went  forth, 
instantly  and  indignantly,  "Put  them  in  irons!"  which 
was,  however,  a  thing  easier  said  than  done.  At  last  the 
officers — with  the  assistance  of  some  of  the  passengers — 
succeeded  in  handcuffing  the  rebels,  and  they  were  then 
stowed  away  in  a  rather  warm  compartment  near  the  en- 
gine-room till  such  time  as  mutiny  should  be  melted  out 
of  them. 

Our  captain  was  in  a  dilemma.  "We  were  almost  be- 
calmed ;  our  sails  flapped  idly  in  the  wind,  while  the  ar- 
rangements for  the  coals  were  such  that,  with  these  men 
off  duty,  our  engine  must  soon  come  to  a  stand-still.  The 
coal  was  chiefly  in  the  fore-hold,  and  had  to  be  raised, 
wheeled  along  deck,  and  deposited  in  the  "  bunkers." 

At  this  juncture  a  committee  of  the  passengers  was  con- 
vened, and  it  was  agreed  that  the  more  active  of  all  classes 
should  be  invited  to  volunteer,  and  act  as  crew  for  the  time 
being.  All  the  younger  men  came  forward  readily,  were 
solemnly  enrolled,  and  set  to  work  at  once,  glad  of  an  in- 
terruption to  the  monotony  of  the  voyage.  We  scrubbed 
the  decks,  hauled  at  ropes,  filled  the  coal-sacks,  and  hoisted 
them  on  deck,  getting  a  fair  taste  of  a  modern  sailor's  life 
on  board  a  steam-vessel.     It  is  more  than  doubtful  whether 


Volunteer  Coal-IIeaving. 


25 


any  of  us  would  have  echoed  the  words  of  England's  sea- 
song  writer,  who  says — 

"Then,  Bill,  lot  us  thank  Providence 
Tliat  you  and  I  are  sailors  I" 

but  we  found  it  good  exercise,  and  worked  with  a  wnll.  Did 
we  not  know  that  the  eyes  of  sixty  maidens  were  looking 
on  approvingly  as  we  helped  them  on  to  the  consummation 
of  their  dearest  wishes  ?  We  did,  and  even  our  parson  cred- 
itably  proved  his  "  muscular  Christianity,"  and  soiled  his 
irrei)roachable  garments  at  one  and  the  same  time.  I  tasted 
the  dignity  of  labor  in  the  role  of  an  amateur  coal-heaver, 
and  in  the  more  sinecure  employment  of  keeping  the  "  look- 
out." We  cooled  our  fevered  frames  with  libations  of  beer, 
and  buckets  of  diluted  lime-juice;  in  this  matter  having  an 
undoubted  advantage  over  the  old  crew,  who  didn't  get 
much  of  such  luxuries.  At  last  the  tropical  heat,  superadd- 
ed to  that  of  the  furnaces,  brought  the  men  to  their  senses, 
and  the  larger  part  of  them  went  back  to  work ;  three, 
however,  held  out,  and  were  kept  in  irons. 

After  some  rough  weather  off  the  Eio  de  la  Plata  (known 
familiarly  by  sailors  as  the  River  Plate),  in  which  we  stove 
in  our  bulwarks  and  lost  a  boat,  we  at  last  made  the  Falk- 
land Islands,  and  came  to  an  anchor  in  Stanley  Ilarbor. 
This  is  a  land-locked  basin  some  six  miles  long  by  half  a 
mile  or  so  wide,  and  is  on  East  Falkland.  We  arrived 
there  early  in  August,  but  it  was  the  end  of  their  winter. 
The  snow  had  just  disappeared  from  the  lowlands,  leaving 
them  in  places  very  swampy.  The  island  was  thick  with 
peat-moss,  which  affords  the  inhabitants  their  only  fuel,  no 
timber  except  a  very  limited  amount  of  drift-wood  being 
attainable.  There  are  no  trees  whatever  on  tlio  Falklands, 
and  it  is  said  that  attempts  to  introduce  them  have  been 
unsuccessful.  It  was  from  these  islands  that  Col.  Moody, 
when  colonial  governor,  brought  the  "  Tussae"  grass. 


26 


The  Falkland  Islands, 


Tho  Fiilklands  liad  been  in  the  hands  of  both  tlic  Spanish 
and  French  before  we  obtained  possession  of  them,  and  they 
were  not  formerly  valued  as  they  are  now.  Port  Stanley  is 
a  pretty  little  town  of  700  or  800  inhabitants,  with  a  church, 
government  buildings,  and.  school-house.  Vessels  returning 
from  China,  Australia,  or  California,  find  these  islands  di- 
rectly in  their  course,  and  often  put  inio  Port  Stanley  for 
repairs,  water,  coal,  or  supplies.  Vegetables  and  fresh  meat 
are  abundant,  the  latter  selling  for  twopence  or  threepence 
a  pound.  The  cattle  on  the  islands  are  very  numerous,  and 
for  the  most  part  wild  ;  they  were  introduced  by  the  Span- 
iards. Stanley  was  a  free  port  at  the  date  of  our  visit,  and 
our  passengers  took  advantage  of  the  fact  to  lay  in  stocks 
of  hollands  and  brandy,  much  to  the  disgust  of  our  steward, 
who  firmly  believed  in  monopoly. 

As  our  ship's  cow  had  given  up  the  ghost — frightened  to 
death  in  a  storm — and  the  fowls  were  things  of  the  past,  we 
were  all  glad  to  get  ashore,  luxuriate  on  milk  and  fresh 
provisions,  and  stretch  our  legs.  An  English  company  had 
— and  I  presume  has — a  large  store  there,  and  exported 
hides  and  furs,  employing  some  150  persons  directly,  and 
a  larger  number  indirectly,  in  their  collection.  Our  vessel 
coaled  at  this  settlement. 

We  spent  several  days  in  excursions  from  the  ship, 
shooting  wild-fowl,  and  amusing  ourselves  with  watching 
the  penguin,  which  were  very  abundant.  On  the  beach, 
when  waddling  away  from  us  in  a  hurry,  they  suggested 
the  idea  of  old  women  tripping  over  the  stones  with  many 
a  fall !  We  visited  the  excellent  light-house  at  Cape  Pem- 
broke, the  easternmost  point  of  East  Falkland,  about  eight 
miles  from  the  port.  Here  we  found  the  keeper's  wife,  with 
a  family  of  youngsters,  some  of  whom  had  never  seen  even 
the  glories  of  Port  Stanley,  and  yet  were  happy.  The  light- 
house, 110  feet  in  height,  stands  at  the  termination  of  a  bar- 


Cape  Horn. 


ren  sand  waste,  and  thu  beacli  near  it  is  everywhere  strewed 
with  kelp  and  sea- weed  of  the  most  enormous  growtli,  re- 
sembling, in  fixct,  sea  trees.  Kelp  is  so  thick  in  some  parts 
of  the  harbor  that  it  is  next  to  impossible  to  row  through  it. 

Our  mutineers  were  tried  in  due  form,  and  sentenced  to 
a  spell  of  hard  labor,  which  in  this  case  consisted  of  amateur 
gardening,  and  sanding  the  floors  of  the  government  build- 
ings. They  were  apparently  rather  glad  than  otherwise  of 
a  brief  residence  in  a  place  where  fresh  food  was  so  abun- 
dant, and  knew  moreover  that  the  next  vessel  touching 
there  short-handed  would  probably  be  glad  to  take  them  at 
higher  wages  than  those  ruling  in  the  port  of  London. 

We  were  detained — partly  by  bad  weather — for  twelve 
days,  but  at  last  the  favorable  moment  arrived,  and  we 
steamed  out  in  good  style.  In  the  evening  of  the  same 
day  we  passed  State n  Land,  over  the  rugged  shores  of 
which  a  canopy  of  mist  hung  gracefully.  In  the  valleys  a 
lace-work  of  snow  still  remained.  Next  morning  we  were 
in  the  Pacific,  in  sight  of  the  broken,  jagged  coast  of  the 
famed  and  dreaded  "Ilorn."  The  weather  was  superb, 
the  sea  almost  a  lake,  and  the  regulation  terrors  of  the  pas- 
sage were  nowhere !  For  the  reader's  sake,  this  was  a 
great  pity,  but  our  passengers  felt  a  kind  of  relief  from  the 
lingering  dread  of  the  more  usual  bad  weather  of  the  Cape. 
We  soon  got  the  "  trade- winds,"  set  all  sail,  and  knocked 
off  steam. 

Before  we  made  the  Californian  coast  the  wind  died  out. 
and  having  again  to  steam,  our  coal  got  reduced  to  ''.e  last 
gasp.  All  loose  wood  on  deck,  and  even  some  valuable 
spars,  had  to  be  cut  up  for  the  furnaces,  and  the  day  before 
our  arrival  in  San  Francisco  it  was  seriously  contemplated 
to  strip  the  second  and  third  cabins  of  their  berths  and  fur- 
niture. 

But  if  we  had  been  glad  to  go  ashore  at  the  Falklands, 


m 


28 


Straits  of  Fuca. 


how  much  more  so  were  we  to  land  in  San  Francisco,  to 
walk  about  its  handsome  streets,  and  enjoy  its  good  things. 
Some  of  our  passengers  were  so  well  satisfied  with  it  that 
they  abandoned  all  idea  of  going  any  farther,  and  others, 
who  could  not  imagine  that  our  captain  would  start  from  it 
in  such  a  hurry,  were  in  consequence  left  behind.  Of  San 
Francisco  I  shall  speak  in  my  concluding  chapters.  I  have 
watched  its  growth  for  five  years,  and  believe  its  history  to 
be  almost  unexampled  among  cities  that  have  arisen  in 
modern  times,  and  that  its  future  teems  with  the  greatest 
promise. 

Eesuming  our  trip,  we  at  length  reached  Cape  Flattery 
and  the  Straits  of  Fuca,  and  obtained  a  first  glimpse  of  the 
interminable  forests  on  Vancouver  Island,  that  were  to  be 
the  home  of  some  of  us  for  many  a  day.  As  late  as  the 
days  of  Cook,  it  was  believed  that  Vancouver  Island  was  a 
part  of  the  main-land,  and  it  was  so  laid  down  in  the  atlas 
accompanying  his  great  work.  The  Straits  of  Fuca  were  in 
effect  so  named  in  1792  by  Vancouver,  after  their  real  dis- 
coverer, Juan  de  Fuca^  an  old  Greek  sailor,  whose  preten- 
sions in  regard  to  their  exploration  were  long  scoffed  at  by 
geographers.  Cook  sailing  up  the  coast  of  New  Albion^ 
now  known  as  Oregon  and  Washington  Territory,  reached 
the  promontory  which  has  always  since  borne  the  name  he 
gave  it — Cape  Flattery.  "  It  is  in  this  very  latitude,"  says 
he,  "  where  we  now  were,  that  geographers  have  placed  the 
pretended  Straits  of  Juan  de  Fuca.  But  we  saw  nothing 
like  it,  nor  is  there  the  least  probability  that  ever  any  such 
thing  existed.  Tolerably  positive  language — more  espe- 
cially when  we  know  the  real  facts  of  the  voyage  as  later 
given  to  the  world  by  Captain  James  Burney,*  who  served 
with  Cook  on  this  identical  voyage.     He  says,  "  After  mak- 


i# 


*  "  A  Chronological  History  of  North-eastern  Voyages  of  Discovery," 
chap.  xix. 


Straits  of  Fuca. 


29 


ing  the  coast,  unfavorable  winds  and  -weather  forced  tbe 
ships  as  far  south  as  to  48°  ;  and  when  we  again  made  way 
northward,  blowing  and  thick  unsettled  weather  prevented 
our  tracing  a  continuation  of  the  coast,  so  that  between  a 
cape  in  lat.  44°  55'  N.,  named  by  Captain  Cook  C«^;e  Foul' 
iveather,  and  a  point  of  land  in  48°  15'  N.,  which  he  named 
Caj^e  Flatter?/,  because  the  prospect  of  the  land  near  it  gave 
it  a  doubtful  promise  of  a  harbor,  we  obtained  only  now 
and  then  a  glimpse  of  the  land. 

"  We  were  near  the  last-mentioned  point  on  the  evening 
of  the  22d  (March,  1778),  and  a  little  before  seven  o'clock, 
it  growing  dark,  Captain  Cook  tacked  to  wait  for  daylight, 
intending  to  make  closer  examination  ;  but  before  morr'  .5 
a  hard  gale  of  wind  came  on,  with  rainy  weather,  and  v;e 
were  obliged  to  keep  oft'  from  the  land.  At  this  time  a 
port  was  necessary  to  both  ships  to  repair  the  lower  rigging, 
as  well  as  to  recruit  their  stock  of  fresh  water.  On  the  29th, 
in  the  forenoon,  we  again  made  the  land.  At  noon  the 
latitude  was  observed  49°  28'  N."  The  reader  who  has 
followed  me  thus  far  will  see  that  Cook  missed  the  entrance 
to  the  Straits  of  Fuca.  There  is  nothing  surprising  in  the 
fact,  though  there  is  in  his  hasty  conclusion  with  regard  to 
the  existence  of  a  strait.  The  last  latitude  is  approximate- 
ly that  of  Nootka  Sound,  Vancouver  Island,  of  v/hich  both 
Cook  and  Burney  give  us  full  descriptions. 

Between  1787-9,  Captains  Berkely,  Duncan,  Meares,  and 
Kendrick — the  three  first-named  English,  the  latter  Ameri- 
can— all  confirmed  Fuca's  discovery  by  visits  which  they 
paid  to  various  parts  of  the  Straits;  and  one  of  the  ob- 
jects of  Vancouver's  great  voyage  was  to  determine  the 
truth  of  their  statements,  ne  arrived  in  the  Straits — the 
supposed  Straits  of  Fuca,  as  he  terms  them — on  Sunday, 
the  29th  April,  1792,  and  from  that  date  commenced 
the  survey  which  has  immortalized  his   name.     On  the 


30 


Juan  De  Fuca. 


day  of  his  arrival  he  met  Captain  Grey,  an  American,  who 
had  made  a  trip  up  the  Straits,  and  had  been  wintering  on 
the  coast. 

And  now  let  us  speak  of  Fuca,  who  seems  to  have  been 
in  his  own  day  neglected  and  misunderstood,  as  he  was  aft- 
erward doubted  and  ignored.  Uis  real  name  wao  Apos- 
tolus Valerianos ;  and  all  that  we  know  of  him  is  recorded 
in  the  celebrated  work  entitled  ^'•Pardias  his  Pilgrimes,^^ 
first  published  in  1625,  under  the  title  of  "^  note  made  hij 
me,  Michael  Lok  the  elder,  touchimj  the  Strait  of  the  Sea,  com- 
monlij  called  Fretum  Anian,  in  the  South  Sea,  through  the 
North-west  passage  of  Meta  incognita." 

In  substance  the  narrative  is  as  follows :  Lok  being  in 
Venice  in  1596,  was  introduced  to  a  Greek  pilot,  an  old  man 
of  "  three-score  yeares,"  commonly  known  by  his  compan- 
ions as  Juan  r/e  Fuca,  although  his  real  name  was  that  re- 
corded above.  He  said  that  he  had  been  in  the  Spanish 
service  ^^fortie  yearesj''  and  that,  on  one  of  his  voyages,  he 
had  been  in  the  galleon  taken  off  Cape  California  (?  Cape 
St.  Lucas)  by  "Captaine  Candlish  Englishman,  whereby  he 
lost  sixtie  thousand  Duckets,  of  his  owne  goods." 

In  1592  the  Viceroy  of  Mexico  sent  him  on  a  voyage  of 
discovery  to  the  Straits  which  now  bear  his  name.  He 
followed  the  coast  of  California  and  Oregon,  etc.,  "  vntill 
hee  came  to  the  latitude  of  fortie-seuen  degrees,  and  there 
finding  that  the  land  trended  North  and  North-east,  with  a 
broad  Inlet  of  Sea,  betweene  47  and  48  degrees  of  Latitude : 
hee  entered  there  into,  sayling  therein  more  then  twentie 
dayes,  and  found  that  land  trending  still,  sometime  North- 
west and  North-east,  and  North,  and  also  East  and  South- 
eastward, and  very  much  broader  Sea  then  was  at  the  said 
entrance,  and  he  passed  by  diuers  islands  in  that  sayling. 
And  at  the  entrance  of  the  said  Strait,  there  is  on  the  North- 
west coast  thereof,  a  great  Hedland  or  Island,  with  an  ex- 


Juan  De  Fuca. 


81 


ceetling  high  Pinaclc,  or  spired  Rock,  like  u  pilhir  there- 
upon. 

''  Also  he  said,  that  he  went  on  Land  in  diucrs  places,  and 
that  he  saw  some  people  on  Land,  clad  in  Beasts  skins :  and 
that  the  Land  is  very  fruitfull,  and  rich  of  Gold,  Sduer, 
Pearle,  and  other  things,  like  Nona  Spania. 

"  And  also  he  said,  that  he  being  entered  thus  farre  into 
the  said  Strait,  and  being  come  into  the  North  Sea  already 
(which  means  that  he  had  rounded  Vancouver  Island),  and 
finding  the  Sea  wide  enough  every-where,  and  to  be  about 
thirtie  or  fortie  leagues  wide  in  the  mouth  of  the  Straits, 
where  hee  entred,  hee  thought  he  had  now  well  discharged 
his  office,  and  done  the  thing  which  he  was  sent  to  doe ;  and 
that  hee  not  being  armed  to  resist  the  force  of  the  Saluage 
people  that  might  happen,  hee  therefore  set  sayle  and  re- 
turned homewards  againe  towards  Noud  Spania^  where  he 
arrived  at  Acajndco,  Anno  1592." 

The  viceroy  welcomed  him  with  empty  complirr\ents,  and 
recommended  him  to  go  to  Spain,  and  lay  his  discoveries 
before  the  king,  "  which  voyage  hee  did  pcrforme."  The 
king  received  him  courteously  with  "  wordes  after  the 
Spanish  manner,"  but  did  nothing  for  him,  and  giving  up 
all  hopes  of  reward,  he  went  to  Italy,  where  Lok  met  him. 

lie  there  offered  to  enter  the  English  service,  hoping  at  the 
same  time  to  be  remembered  in  regard  to  his  great  loss  to 
Canrllish.  Lok  wrote  immediately  to  Lord-treasurer  Cecil, 
Sir  Walter  Raleigh,  and  Master  Richard  Hakluit,  the  geog- 
rapher, asking  them  to  forward  £100  to  fetch  Fuca  to  En- 
gland, he  not  being  in  a  position  to  afford  it.  Answer  came 
that  the  idea  was  well  liked,  but  the  money  not  being  forth- 
coming, the  matter  was  allowed  to  drop.  Later,  Lok — who 
bad  been  English  consul  at  Aleppo — corresponded  with 
Fuca,  and  when  himself  in  the  Island  of  Zante,  wrote  to 
Cephalonia,  offering  to  take  the  old  pilot  at  his  own  expense 


■I 


82 


Victoria,  Vancouvek  Island. 


to  England.  But  poor  old  Fuca  was  by  this  time — Christ- 
mas, 1G02 — dead,  or  at  the  point  of  death,  and  we  lost  the 
chance  of  making  an  early  discovery  of  an  important  coast. 

The  Straits  of  Fuca  have  been  often  described,  and  I  will 
not  enlarge  upon  the  subject.  Although  the  scenery  is  in 
parts  very  beautiful,  and  occasionally  grand,  there  is  a 
monotony  about  them  inseparable  from  pine-forests,  rocks, 
and  islands.  We  soon  arrived  off  Esquimalt,  obtained  a 
pilot,  and  entered  the  harbor,  now  one  of  our  most  impor- 
tant naval  stations  in  the  Pacific,  as  it  is  also  one  of  the 
healthiest.  It  is,  in  effect,  the  port  of  Victoria,  as  only  mod- 
erate-sized vessels  can  safely  enter  the  harbor  of  the  latter 
place,  owing  to  a  bar  at  its  entrance. 

Of  Victoria,  in  which  town  I  spent  three  winters,  what 
shall  I  say  ?  Its  career  has  been  a  forced  and  unhealthy 
one,  and  it  is  at  the  present  day  suffering  from  the  effects. 
For  a  tim.e,  indeed,  the  British  Columbian  mines  gave  it  an 
impetus,  and  had  there  been  a  really  good  agricultural 
country  in  the  neighborhood,  it  would  have  doubtless  be- 
come a  permanently  prosperous  settlement.  But  although 
Victoria  has  much  in  its  favor — a  climate  almost  unsurpass- 
ed, provisions  abundant  and  cheap,  and  fair  facilities  of 
communication  with  neighboring  countries — it  has  dwindled 
down  '.o  a  very  low  ebb  indeed.  I  may  be  excused  for 
alluding  to  one  fact  well  known  in  the  colony,  although 
most  writers  on  the  subject  have  persistently  ignored  it.  It 
is  this :  that  men  who  have  made  large  fortunes  in  the 
mines  and  other  ways — and  there  have  been  many  such — 
do  not,  as  a  rule,  become  settlers  in  that  country.  In  Aus- 
tralia and  California  they  do  become  attached  to  the  soil ; 
they  find  abundruce  of  available  and  open  lands,  and  end 
by  becoming  prosperous  and  contented  residents.  This 
point  is  of  great  importance.  The  discovery  of  minerals, 
however  profitable  to  individuals,  v'ill  not  make  a  country; 


I 


Victoria,  A^ancouver  Island. 


88 


but  the  discovery  of  minerals  and  rich  lands  fit  for  agricul- 
tural pursuits  may  do  so.* 

I  spent  many  pleasant  days  in  Victoria :  it  was  my  rest- 
ing-place in  the  intervals  between  many  lengthened  journeys. 
It  is  a  very  bright,  clean,  well-built  little  town,  witli  all  the 
latest  improvements.  There  are  Episcopal,  Dissenting,  and 
Roman  Catholic  churches,  a  mechanics'  institute,  theatre, 
and  gas-works.  There  arc  many  private  and  public  socie- 
ties, masonic,  national,  or  charitable ;  and  the  traveller  can 
always  be  sure  of  much  hospitality  if  he  comes  with  good 
credentials.  The  naval  gentlemen  from  Esquimalt  give 
life  and  tone  to  the  society  of  the  place,  while  the  active  or 
retired  servants  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  are  its 
principal  residents.  This  company  has  in  Victoria  a  very 
fine  warehouse  and  wharves,  and  now  docs  a  miscellaneous 
business,  in  addition  to  the  collection  of  furs. 

Our  fellow-passengers,  who  had  come  to  make  a  rapid 
and  gigantic  fortune  iji  Cariboo,  now  for  the  most  part 
awoke  to  the  fact  that  the  mines  were  yet  some  five  hundred 
miles  away,  and  out  of  our  list  of  three  hundred  persons 
not  more  than  twenty-five  ever  reached  the  Northern  El 
Dorado.  When,  in  1863,  I  made  a  sketching  and  pedes- 
trian tour  to  that  district,  I  met  some  of  my  fellow-passen- 
gers already  on  the  way  down,  disgusted  and  crest-fallen. 
They  knew  nothing  of  mining,  and  their  onlj^  chance  of  ob- 

*  The  main-land  of  this  now  united  colony,  British  Columbia,  has  a  fair 
amount  of  good  land.  The  governor,  in  a  recent  blue  l)()ok,  says,  "The 
most  important  advance  made  by  British  Columbia  in  18GG  was  the  rapid 
development  of  aj^riculture,  occasioned  by  the  increasing  number  of  wagon- 
roads  and  other  communications.  Ilome-manufactiired  flour  of  superior 
quality  is  already  taking  the  place  of  the  imported  article.  Use  is  being 
made  of  the  magnificent  timber  covering  the  sides  of  tlie  harbors  and  inlets; 
and  spars  and  lumber  of  superior  quality  were  exported  in  ISOfi  to  the  value 
of  £10,000.  The  yield  of  gold  in  the  year  is  roughly  estimated  ati:fiOO,0!iO: 
and  as  there  were  certainly  not  more  than  three  thousand  miners  engaged. 
the  average  product  reached  £200  per  man — far  exceeding  any  average 
ever  reached  in  California  or  Australia. " 

c 


'(I 


34 


Cauihoo  Mines. 


'i 


taiiiiug  an  interest  in  a  company  was  in  the  same  way  as  in 
Cornwall  or  Wales — by  buying  it.  Tliis,  too,  was  a  rather 
shaky  undertaking.  If  bought  on  the  spot,  there  was  a 
great  probability  that  the  ground  was  "  salted  " — a  technical 
term  for  a  well-known  ruse,  that  of  scattering  a  few  ounces 
of  gold  among  the  dirt;  the  seller  (true  in  a  double  sense) 
rediscovering  it  there  before  the  victim's  eyes.  He  did  not 
always  get  even  this  satisfaction  ;  fragments  of  brass  can- 
dlesticks and  Dutch  metal  have  sometimes  done  duty  for 
the  precious  deposit,  and  it  is  said  that  Chinese  miners  are 
t>.xcellent  at  manufacturing  fictitious  nuggets  and  quartz 
specimens. 

A  friend  of  mine  purchased  in  Victoria  a  share  in  a 
Cariboo  mine,  and,  on  arrival  there,  was  unable  to  find  or 
hear  of  any  traces  of  it.  It  existed  only  on  paper.  On  the 
other  hand  Cariboo  was,  and  still  is,  a  very  rich  field.  A 
single  company  once  realized  180  lbs.  of  gold  as  the  result 
of  one  day's  work.*  I  have  myself  seen  200  oz.  collected 
from  the  "dump-box,"  as  the  proceeds*  of  one  "shift,"  or 
eight  hours'  work.  Much  of  this  kind  of  thing  has  been 
already  laid  before  the  public,  but  the  deductions  made 
therefrom  have  not  been  by  any  means  correct.  The  fact 
is,  that  in  a  large  number  of  cases  the  working  expenses 
were  very  heavy,  and  one,  two,  or  even  three  seasons'  work 
had  often  to  be  first  expended  before  there  were  any  re- 
turns. The  price  of  provisions  at  the  date  of  my  visit 
averaged  all  round  a  dollar  (4s.  2d)  a  pound,  and  labor 
commanded  ten  dollars  a  day.  Even  the  hardy  pioneers, 
men  who  had  been  "broken  in"  in  California  or  Australia, 
were  by  no  means  universally  lucky.     The  fate  of  the  dis- 

*  For  the  week  ending  July  9,  1 865,  the  Ericsson  Company  took  ont 
KOO  oz.  The  following  week  reached  still  higher — 192G  oz.,  worth  over 
£6000.  I  well  remember  the  first  gold  "struck"  in  that  claim,  and  the 
general  surprise  that  any  tiling  whatever  was  to  be  found  in  that  locality. 


iLjiit^ 


Risks  of  Gold-Minino. 


85 


nmcrs  are 


covcrcrs  of"  William's  Creek,"  the  richest  valley  in  Cariboo, 
is  a  case  in  point.  One  of  them,  William  Dietz,  a  German, 
broken  down  by  hardship  and  exposure,  was  dependent  on 
charity  while  I  was  in  Victoria;  and  the  second,  liosc,  a 
Scotchman,  died  of  starvation  in  the  woods,  and  was  after- 
wai'd  found  by  horror-stricken  friends.  On  his  tin  cup  he 
had  attempted  to  record  his  sufferings  by  scratching  thereon 
a  few  broken  words. 

Of  my  experiences  on  the  grand  Cariboo  road,  a  work 
of  great  engineering  skill,  especially  in  the  canons  of  the 
Fraser,  of  that  great  river  itscif,  of  lake>,  forests  and  torrents, 
"ranches"  and  road-side  houses,  I  could  relate  cnougli  to 
fill  this  volume,  but  will  say  nothing,*  for  the  very  good 
reason  that  the  country  has  already  been  admirably  de- 
scribed in  the  work  of  Lord  Milton  and  Dr.  Cheadle.f  These 
gentlemen  went  over  exactly  the  same  ground,  and  have 
presented  a  faithful  picture  of  the  whole  as  far  as  the  sub- 
ject can  possibly  interest  the  public.  The  succeeding 
chapters  contain  some  account  of  my  trips  in  other  and  less 
known  parts  of  the  same  country,  while  the  bulk  of  this 
volume  describes  visits  paid  to  much  more  northern  climes. 

*  But  I  must  mention  one  fact  interesting  in  the  history  of  journalism  on 
the  Pacific.  In  1865  a  small  newspaper  was  started  in  the  mines,  and  was 
named  "  The  Cariboo  Sentinel.'"  It  consisted  of  one  (foolscap)  sheet  of  four 
pages,  and,  with  an  occasional  supplement,  sold  at  one  dollar  (4s.  2d.)  a 
copy !  The  editor,  Mr.  Wallace,  whom  I  knew  well,  was  the  all-in-all  of 
the  office.  He  was  his  own  compositor,  pressman,  advertisement  agent, 
publisher,  and  collector,  and  doubtless  would  have  been  his  own  paper-maker 
on  the  spot  if  rags  had  been  less  valuable !  He  was  very  succest-ful,  in  a 
pecuniary  point  of  view,  and  afterward  sold  the  concern  to  some  one  else, 
lie  then  commenced  the  publication  of  a  paper  at  the  town  of  Yale,  in  the 
canons  of  the  Fraser,  and  has  since  returned  to  England,  having  retired 
with  a  competency. 

t  Capt.  Mnync's  "Four  Yenrs  in  British  Columbia,"  a  very  reliable  and 
interesting  work,  tonclies  on  tiie  same  sulijcct. 


36 


Bute  Inlet. 


CHAPTER  IT. 

TTTE  GLACIERS  OF  BUTE  INLET,  HUITISII  COLUMHIA. 

The  Moimtiiins  of  Hritish  Columbin  nnd  ndjncotit  Coasts. — IJiitc  Inlet. — 
Cliilicoten  Indians. — A  "  Hlow-up."— Indian  Packets. —Uoiito  tlirmiyli 
till)  Forest.  —  Indian  Guide. — Cliint'oii  ,Iarj;on. — Trackless  Forests. — 
Lost  in  the  Wood.s. — The  glacier  Streams. — Camp. — Great  Glacier. — 
Description. — Ketiirn  Journey. — Second  Glacier. 

A  GLANCE  lit  tlio  mnp  of  Briti.sh  Columbia  shows  us  one 
of  the  most  broken  jagged  coast-lines  in  the  world,  with 
arms  of  the  sea  innumerable,  into  each  of  which  some  river, 
small  or  large,  finds  its  way.  These  streams,  fed  by  numer- 
ous tributaries,  born  of  the  snow  and  ice,  pasi-^  through  the 
valleys  of  the  Cascade  and  coast  ranges,  bordering  on  the 
Gulf  of  Georgia,  Straits  of  Fuca,  and  adjacent  coast.  The 
general  character  of  these  mountain-ranges  is  Alpine;  per- 
petual snow  reigns  in  their  upper  regions,  and  glaciers  exist 
in  their  valleys.  Such  are  knowii  to  exist  at  the  Stekine 
River  in  particular. 

A  direct  route  from  the  coast  into  the  Cariboo  mines  by 
the  way  of  Bute  Inlet  had  been  projected  and  partly  carried 
out  in  the  year  18B4 ;  and  in  consequence  the  writer  was 
induced  to  visit  this  otherwise  inaccessible  country.  A 
schooner,  with  men  and  supplies  on  board,  left  Victoria, 
Vancouver  Island,  on  the  16th  March  of  that  3^ear,  and  he 
then  took  the  opportunity,  kindly  given  him  by  the  pro- 
jector of  the  road,  Mr.  Alfred  Waddington,  of  paying  the 
glaciers  a  visit. 

Omitting  all  details  of  a  tedious  passage,  we  arrived  at 
Bute  Inlet  on  the  22d  March,  and  getting  a  fair  breeze,  we 


CniLicoTKN  Indians. 


87 


mndo  tlic  mouth  of  the  Homatlico  Kivor  tlio  sarno  day.  On 
oijtcriii^'  tlio  inlet,  the  transition  from  tl»e  low,  loeky  islands 
of  the  (Jnlf  of  Georgia  to  the  pr(rij)iti)us,  snow-capped 
mountains  of  the  main-land  was  very  marked.  The  skip- 
per, who  kncjw  the  Norway  coast,  said  that  it  exactly  rc- 
scmhled  the  scenery  of  the  "  Fiords."  The  snow,  then  fast 
melliiiL'",  yielded  many  a  streamlet  which  glided  peacefully 
through  the  forest  to  the  sea,  and  many  a  thundt^ring  cata- 
ract which  fell  ovtu*  bare  and  abrupt  eiilVs.  Near  the  river 
some  Chilicoten  Indians  paddled  out  in  their  canoes,  and 
came  on  board  to  get  a  free  ride.  They  had  rings  through 
their  noses,  were  much  painted,  and  wore  the  inevitable  blan- 
ket of  the  coast.  P'or  the  rest,  there  was  nothing  very  char- 
acteristic in  their  costume;  some  having  a  shirt  without 
breeches,  some  breeches  without  a  shirt.  Two  of  them  were 
picturesque,  with  wolf-skin  robes,  hair  turned  inward,  and 
the  outer  side  adorned  with  fringes  of  tails  derived  from 
marten  or  squirrel.  Among  them  one  old  hag  attracted^ 
some  notice,  from  her  repulsive  appearance  and  the  short 
pipe  which  she  seemed  to  enjoy. 

On  nearing  a  small  wharf  already  erected  at  the  mouth  of 
the  river,  a  solitary  white  man,  Mr.  C ,  made  his  appear- 
ance, and  was  evidently  glad  to  see  us.     He  had  been  left 
'  in  charge  of  stores,  mules,  etc.,  during  winter,  and  the  In- 
dians had  at  times  threatened  his  life. 

An  amusing  incident  had  occurred  during  his  stay.  Tie 
had  missed  many  small  things  from  his  log-house,  and  could 
not  catch  the  thief,  whoever  he  might  be,  but  who  he  had 
reason  to  believe  must  have  entered  the  cabin  by  the  large 
open  chimney.  At  last  he  got  a  friend  to  go  inside  with  a 
quarter  of  a  pound  of  gunpowder,  and  locking  the  door, 
made  pretense  of  leaving,  but  crept  back  near  the  house  to 
watch  the  result.  Soon  an  Indian  came  stealthily  along, 
sans  culottes,  sans  every  thing.     He  climbed  on  the  roof,  and 


f 


38 


A  "Blow-up 


?  J 


got  nearly  down  tlie  chimney,  when  tbe  man  inside  threw 
the  powder  on  the  smouldering  ashes,  and  off  it  went. 
The  Indian  went  off  also!  and  with  a  terrific  yell ;  but  over 
his  condition  a  veil  must  be  drawn.  He  afforded  for  some 
time  afterward  a  very  wholesome  warning  to  his  tribe,  being 
unable  to  sit  or  lie  down. 

These  people  appeared  to  be  very  bare  of  provisions,  and 
disputed  with  their  wretched  "cayota"  dogs  anything  that 
we  threw  out  of  our  camp,  in  the  shape  of  bones,  bacon-iind, 
or  tea-leaves,  and  similar  luxuries.  Many  of  them  were 
subsequently  employed  in  packing  goods  on  their  backs, 
always  carrying  their  loads  fixed  to  a  strap  which  came 
round  and  over  their  foreheads.  As  they  would  pack  100 
lbs.  and  upward  this  way,  their  heads  must  be  regarded  as 
tolerably  strong  and  thick !  Some  of  them  were  also  em- 
ployed in  building  the  road. 

After  making  sundry  arrangements,  we  started  up.  The 
route  lay  through  a  magnificent  forest  of  cedar,*  hemlock, 
and  Douglas  pine,  individual  specimens  of  which  almost 
rivalled  the  "  big  trees  "  of  California.  One  of  the  cedars 
measured  forty-five  feet  in  circumference  at  the  butt  (about 
the  height  from  the  ground  of  a  man's  chest).  Although  the 
snow  lay  on  the  ground  so  thickly  that  the  heavily-laden 
pack-train  of  mules  could  hardly  proceed  without  a  path 
being  cleared  for  them,  the  musquitoes  were  already  out  in 
full  force.  So  abundant  were  they  that  the  writer  took  nine 
from  the  back  of  his  hand  at  one  pinch  between  finger  and 
thumb.     They  bit  through  any  thing  from  blankets  to  cord 


*  Codar,  as  it  is  popularly  known  on  the  coast,  is  the  Thnja  gigantea  of 
botanists.  Douglas  pino,  Abies  Douf/lasii,  and  hemlock  (Aides  I3rid(/ei, 
"  Proc.  California  Acad.  Natural  Sciences,"  vol.  ii.),  m(\])\Q  (Acer  iiiao  o/)hyl- 
luni),  aider  (Alnns  Oregana),  white  pine  (Pimts  strobtis?),  and  spruce  (Abies 
Menziesii),  are  also  common  trees  of  the  coast.  For  these  scientific  names  I 
am  indebted  to  Mr.  Brown,  with  whom  I  was  afterward  associated  on  the 
Vancouver  Island  expedition. 


Indian  Guide. 


3i» 


unmentionables,  and  against  their  inflictions  tberc  was  liter- 
ally "  nothing  like  leather." 

The  road  followed  more  or  less  the  river  valley,  tlic  scen- 
ery of  which  was  not  seen  to  advantage  till,  after  crossing 
the  stream  by  a  rope-ferry,  wc  commenced  the  ascent  of  a 
mountain  by  a  zigzag  trail,  in  order  to  avoid  the  passage  of 
a  rock-girt  caiion.  From  this  the  views  were  superb.  Pur- 
ple clilfs  rose — pine-clad  and  abrupt — while  below  the  IIo- 
inathco  made  its  way  to  the  sea,  realizing  the  words  of  our 

Laureate, 

"Waters  between  walls 
Of  shadowy  granite,  in  a  gleaming  pass." 

Afar  dff,  snow-crowned  peaks  and  blue  valleys  completed 
the  picture. 

On  the  19th  April,  having  arrived  at  the  farthest  camp 
of  the  constructing  party,  I  engaged  an  Indian  who  was  sup- 
posed to  know  the  country  well,  and  started  with  him  for  the 
Great  Glacier,  The  Chinook  jargon,  the  only  medium  of 
converse  with  these  Indians,  has  no  equivalent  for  "  glacier," 
It  could  only  be  expressed  by  hyu  ice,  hyu  snoiv — "  plenty 
of  ice  and  snow  ;"  and  I  was  very  much  in  the  fix  of  a  dig- 
nitary of  the  Church  on  that  coast,  who  began  an  address  to 
the  Indians  with  "  Children  of  the  forest,"  but  was  rather 
disgusted  to  find  his  interpreter  could  only  render  it,  Hyu 
tenass  man  copa  stick — "  Many  little  men  among  the  sticks 
(or  stumps!)"  I  could  not  make  the  man  thoroughly  under- 
stand, and  after  two  days'  wandering  it  became  obvious  that 
it  would  be  better  to  return  and  seek  another  guide.  We 
accordingly  returned,  and,  having  secured  the  services  of  an 
Indian  of  some  intelligence — Tellotbyname — an  old  chief, 
I  again  started ;  this  time,  as  it  proved,  with  more  success. 

Few  can  have  any  conception  of  the  old  forests  through 
which  our  course  lay  who  have  not  themselves  seen  such. 
Thick  with  living  vegetation,  they  were  equally  so  with  de- 


ii 


"m 


40 


Trackless  Forests, 


i!  ' 


cay  and  death.  Now  an  immense  fallen  trunk,  over  which 
we  had  to  climb,  blocked  the  path,  now  one  under  which 
we  were  obliged  to  creep,  and  now  and  again  an  accumula- 
tion of  the  same,  the  effect  of  some  wintry  storm  or  natural 
death.  Here,  as  the  tree  falls  so  it  lies,  and  has  lain  undis- 
turbed for  ages.  Hence,  a  log,  green  with  moss,  suddenly 
collapsed  as  we  trod  on  it,  and  we  were  half-buried  in  tinder. 
Prickly  thickets  were  common. 

Men  have  frequently  been  lost  in  the  woods  of  this  coun- 
try for  long  periods ;  and  some,  unable  to  discover  a  way 
out  from  them,  have  suffered  protracted  and  painful  deaths. 

In  1865  a  merchant  of  Victoria  went  out  on  an  excursion- 
trip  on  the  occasion  of  the  queen's  birthday,  and  landed  with 
others  at  Sooke  Harbor — a  place  sixteen  miles  from  the 
town,  and  where,  as  is  common  on  Vancouver  Island,  the 
forest  is  extremely  dense.  Being  rather  short-sighted,  he 
wandered  off  a  trail,  and  was  six  days  in  the  woods  without 
food. 

A  party  of  sixty  men,  among  whom  was  the  writer,  vol- 
unteered to  go  in  search  of  him,  and  made  a  detailed  exam- 
ination of  the  locality,  proceeding  in  the  manner  of  riflemen 
when  "  extended,"  with  as  much  regularity  as  was  possible 
in  that  broken  country,  thick  with  timber  and  underbrush, 
and  where  you  often  could  not  see  the  next  man  ten  feet 
off.  But  these  efforts  were  entirely  unsuccessful,  although 
continued  for  several  days ;  and  eventually  this  gentleman 
wandered  out  again  on  the  ill-defined  trail,  and  was  found 
there — in  total  ignorance  of  the  fact — by  some  hunters  pass- 
ing by.  It  need  not  be  said  that  he  was  in  a  very  exhausted 
state.  He  had  heard  the  bugle-calls  and  shouts  of  the 
searchingparty,  but  was  at  the  time  in  too  feeble  a  condition 
to  make  himself  heard.  On  the  fourth  day  he  had  made 
his  will,  and  having  no  paper,  had  written  it  in  pencil  on 
his  white  handkerchief! 


Lost  in  tue   AYoods. 


41 


Later  the  same  year  Mr.  Butler,  an  explorer,  in  a  different 
branch  of  the  same  service  as  the  writer — the  Russo- Ameri- 
can Telegraph  Expedition — was  lost  for  nearly  two  weeks 
in  Northern  British  Columbia,  near  the  Upper  Eraser. 
He  had,  when  in  pursuit  of  a  Cariboeuf  deer,  wandered  far 
from  the  camp  of  his  companions,  and  attempting  to  retrace 
his  steps,  found  that  he  had  lost  his  reckoning  entirely.  In 
order  to  try  and  discover  a  way  out  of  the  forest  he  climbed 
a  tree ;  but  a  branch  gave  way,  and  he  was  unfortunate 
i>nough  to  fall  from  it,  remaining  at  its  base  stunned  and 
half  unconscious  for  two  days.  At  last,  partially  recovering 
his  strength,  he  managed  to  reach  Fraser  Eiver,  and  to  con- 
struct a  raft  of  small  logs ;  but  from  his  weakness,  and 
from  the  rapidity  of  the  current,  he  was  unable  to  manage 
it,  and  it  left  him  at  last  stuck  on  a  bar  of  the  river,  with  the 
})leasure  of  seeing  it  float  away  in  the  distance.  He,  how- 
(iver,  reached  the  bank,  and  took  to  the  slower  but  surer 
mode  of  follov/ing  the  course  of  the  river  by  land  through 
the  woods  and  thickets.  He  at  length  reached  a  small 
"clearing"  owned  by  Chinamen,  who  treated  him  kindly 
and  took  him  to  the  "city"  (a  board  and  shingle  one)  at 
the  mouth  of  Quesnelle.  He  had  subsisted  for  twelve  days 
on  fern  and  "  gamass,"  or  lily-roots,  and  a  few  berries. 

To  return  to  our  narrative :  we  found  that  rotten  snow 
covered  the  ground,  logs,  and  underbrush  to  a  depth  of 
several  feet,  and  travelling  with  the  loads  we  carried  was 
hardly  pleasurable.  We,  however,  pushed  on,  and,  after  fol- 
lowing the  Homathco  Kiver  more  or  less  closely  for  the 
greater  part  of  a  day,  we  reached  the  first  glacier  stream, 
and  soon  obtained  a  distant  view  of  the  great  "  frozen  tor- 
rent" itself,  with  the  grand  snow-peaks  behind  it. 

This  stream,  with  several  others  derived  from  the  same 
source,  ran  with  great  violence,  and  had  to  be  waded  ;  it  was 
as  much  as  I  could  possibly  do  to  cross  them,  and  I  thought 


m 


I  III 


42 


(i  I.Al'l  Kli     S'riiKA  MS. 


that  but   fcir   tlic  a(l(litii)nal    lifly   jiounds  on  my   back    \ 
should  havi!  bci'u  taken  olV  my  h'g^?. 

'Vo  this  j)oint  several  Indians  liad  accompaniod  us,  and  I 
was  not  ovcrgrioved  to  see  tluMu  continue  Ibllovving  the 
main  river;  they  wei'e  bound  lor  Tatla  Lake.  ^I'liey  bej.'- 
i^ed  for  a  "  jiotlatch  "  or  gift,  and,  glad  to  get  rid  of  them,  I 
acceded  lo  their  requ(>st  lor  a  little  Hour,  tobacco,  etc.  To 
one  of  the  children  1  gave  a  six{)ence,  explaining  in  doubl- 
ful  (^hiui^ok  that  lun-  majesty,  as  thereon  portrayed,  was 
Vi('h>n'i(,  Kl(><)lchuia)i  tijlui'  copa  KIikj  Gconjc,  illi-ltc  —  or 
"  Woman-chief  of  the  King  Oeorgc  Land"  or  England,* 
and  In*,  immediately  suggested  by  motions  that  ho  intended 
to  hauLi:  the  coin  from  his  nose  ! 

We  pitched  our  canij)  in  an  open  space  from  which  the 
snow  had  melted,  o\\  the  Hat  of  land  extending  for  several 
miles  below  the  glacier.  On  the  next  morning  (2-lth  April) 
after  our  simple  repast  and  one  pipe,  I  left  Tellot  in  camp 
to  hH)k  after  the  trajis,  as  he  was  unwilling  to  take  any  more 
trouble,  and  struggled  up  by  myself  to  the  base  of  the  gla- 
cier, a  distance  of  about  two  and  a  half  miles,  through  very 
d>H*p,  but  rotten  and  thawing  snow.  The  Hat  was  strewed 
with  boulders  and  drift-wood,  with  here  and  there  a  sand- 
bar, and  covered  with  snow  so  soft  that  1  frequently  slipped 
in  between  masses  of  rock  up  to  my  chest,  or  higher,  and 
occasionally  jerked  down,  without  any  warning,  into  a 
streamlet  that  had  undermined  it.  The  streams  were  larffo 
and  swift ;  one  of  them  in  fiict  was  a  small  river,  too  deep 
and  strong  to  be  waded.  Pine  and  alder  woods  enclosed 
this  open  space  on  either  side. 

*  "  King  George  man,"  in  the  Chinook  jargon  (a  mixture  of  English, 
I'Vench,  anil  Indian,  used  as  a.  means  of  converse  among  most  of  the  white 
men  and  natives  of  the  coast),  simply  means  an  Knglislunan,  and  was  orig- 
inated bv  the  fact  that  our  first  acquaintance  with  them  was  made  in  th<' 
(lOorgian  era.  "Boston  man,"  or  "Boston  "  simplv,  stands  for  an  Ameri- 
can ;  the  first  vessels  bearing  the  stars  and  stripes  hailed  from  that  port. 


I 


^y   back    I 


[\  us,  and  I 
owing  the 

^riioy  bco- 
ol'  tlicni,  I 
),  t'lc.  To 
;  in  (loubi- 
rnyod,  was 
'lf'-/n'  —  or 
Kniiland  * 

O  7 

c  intended 

wliicli  the 

for  several 

•Ith  April) 

>t  in  earn}) 

any  more 

;)!'  the  ^la- 

)ugh  very 

LS  strewed 

e  a  sand- 

y  slipped 

bher,  and 

|g,  into   a 

rere  larcje 

[too  deep 

enclosed 


|)f  English, 
If  the  white 
ll  was  orip- 
luJe  in  th'- 
m  Ameri- 
port. 


Great  Glacier. 


45 


On  rcacliing  the  glacier,  its  presence  was  rendered  very 
obvious  by  the  cracking  of  the  ice  and  the  careering  of  the 
stones  from  its  surface.  This  was  incessant ;  now  a  shower 
of  pebbles,  now  a  few  hundred-weight  of  boulders,  and  now 
a  thimbleful  of  sand,  but  always  something  coming  over. 
The  ice — very  evidently  such  at  the  cracks,  where  you  saw 
its  true  color,  and  its  dripping  lower  edges  of  stalactite  form 
— yet  appeared  for  the  most  part  like  wet,  smooth  ro  'k, 
from  the  quantity  of  dirt  on  its  surface.  At  its  termination 
the  glacier  must  have  been  three-quarters  of  a  mile  in 
width ;  it  was  considerably  wider  higher  up.  While 
sketching  it,  all'  around  was  so  supremely  tranquil  that  its 
action  was  very  noticeable.  Eocks  and  boulders  fell  from 
it  sufficient  to  crush  any  too  eager  observer.  A  great  quan- 
tity of  snow  was  on  its  surface,  but  fast  melting  and  form- 
ing streamlets  that  glistened  in  the  sun,  while  from  inner- 
most icy  caverns  torrents  of  discolored  water  poured.  The 
day  was  extremely  warm,  and  the  glacier  in  full  activity. 
It  ran  east  and  west,  the  sun  setting  behind  the  grand  peaks, 
from  whose  snows  it  derived  its  existence. 

The  terminal  moraines  were  very  distinctly  marked  by 
pyramids,  islands  (between  the  streams),  and  heaps  of  boul- 
ders, some  of  them  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in  advance,  on  the 
flat.  That  these  pointed  to  a  former  period  when  the  gla- 
cial mass  extended  thus  far  can  not  bo  doubted.  The  i::reen 
pine  woods  came  almost  to  the  glacier  in  places.  Its  surface 
was  str  wed  with  boulders,  and  both  the  lateral  and  medial 
moraines  were  strongly  marked.  Here  and  there  a  sapling, 
either  detached  from  the  sid..  precipices,  or  possibly  sprung 
from  a  wafted  seed,  was  peacefully  moving  on  to  its  destruc- 
tion. The  crevasses  were  large  and  yawning.  Square 
hummocks  of  ice,  foiced  up  by  the  closing  of  crevasses, 
existed  in  many  places  on  its  surface,  while  at  the  western 
or  upper  end,  pinnacles,  peaks,  and  pyramids  of  ice  were 


16 


Second  Glacier. 


W'i^ii 


Mt' 


seen  in  the  distance.  I  have  little  doubt  that  nearly  all  the 
features  usually  observable  in  connection  with  glaciers  were 
to  be  found  there. 

The  mountains  behind  were  lofty,  and  one  peak. was 
slightly  horned ;  while  one  immense  black  mass  of  rock, 
with  precipitous  sides,  reared  itself  from  the  surrounding 
purity.  After  spending  the  day  in  such  crude  examination 
as  my  time  would  permit,  I  returned  late  in  the  evening 
to  the  camp,  where  Tellot  had  remained  all  day.  From 
ins  manner,  I  should  suppose  that  he  thought  me  a  fool  for 
my  pains,  although  he  showed  some  little  interest  in  my 
sketches. 

After  joining  once  more  the  camp  of  the  road  party  and 
resting  there  a  day  or  two,  I  turned  my  face  coastward — 
proceeding  leisurely  to  the  Ferry  station,  and  sketching  in 

the  neighborhood.     There  I  stopped  two  days  with  S , 

the  man  in  charge,  and  later  with  the  superintendent,  and 
some  of  the  workmen  who  came  down  for  supplies  ;  I  then 
started  down  for  the  coast  with  a  pack-train  then  returning. 
When  within  eleven  miles  from  the  sea,  I  left  them,  and 
this  time  proceeded  entirely  alone  to  visit  a  second  glacier, 
which  could  be  seen  from  the  trail,  and  very  much  resem- 
bled in  general  appearance  the  Mer  de  Glace.  This  was 
less  troublesome  to  reach,  but  the  streams  had  to  be  waded 
eonstantl}^  Often  an  accumulation  of  drift-wood  on  a  bar 
or  "  riffle,"  as  it  is  termed  on  that  coast,  would  assist  me  in 
crossing;  but  the  principal  stream  from  the  glacier  could 
not  be  crossed  at  all,  and  so  turbulent  was  it  that  it  had 
swept  away  a  substantial  bridge  formerly  built  over  it  (at 
the  crossing  of  the  road). 

The  ice  of  this  glacier  and  the  water  from  it  were  com- 
paratively pure,  and  it  was  really  a  very  beautiful  sight. 
The  mountains  behind  it  seemed  of  less  height  and  more 
rounded  in  form  than  in  the  case  of  the  other  glacier.    One 


J    ^ 


Second  GiiACiKii.  47 

immense  slope  of  dnz/liiig  })urity  was  very  striking.  The 
clifld  and  hills,  by  which  it  was  shut  in,  were  more  precip- 
itou.*^.  The  woods  almost  extended  to  its  base.  The  flat 
in  front  was  strewed  with  trees  swept  fiom  the  river's 
banks  at  times  when  its  waters  were  unusually  swollen,  or 
in  some  instances  doubtless  brought  down  on  the  glacier  it- 
self. The  boulders  here  were  neither  so  large  nor  so  abun- 
dant, but  there  was  more  sand. 

As  a  canoe  was  to  leave  Bute  Inlet*  the  following  day, 
and  it  was  getting  late,  after  sketching  the  glacier,  I  reluc- 
tantly made  my  way  back  to  the  trail,  and  followed  it 
through  the  woods  to  the  station  at  the  mouth  of  the  river. 

♦  In  a  paper  read  heforo  the  Royal  GeoRrnphical  Society  Inst  session 
(1868),  Hute  Inlet  was  mentioned  as  the  terminal  point  on  the  Pacific  of  a 
proposed  railway  and  steam-hoat  route  from  the  Atlantic  soa-hoard.  See 
Appendix  (I.).  The  same  scheme  has  been  more  recently  laid  before  the 
Jtritish  Association. 


n 


4 


48 


llElMHiTKD    MUUDKU. 


CIIAPTKU  ITT. 

THE   TKAfJKDY    AM()N(J    TIIK    ClLACIKKfl. 

llcporfod  Murder. — Caiifio-tri])  on  tlio  Sen. — Dodd's  Narrows. — Island  on 
Kill'. — Tlu"  Massacroat  Hutc  Inlet. — Ki'iiorlsof  Survivors. — .Second  Mas- 
sacre.—  Kxcitenient  in  the  Colony.  —  I-ixpeditions  in  Searcli  of  tlie  In- 
dians.— ('apturc  of  a  Part  of  the  Murderers. — Tlic  Ideal  and  Ileal  In- 
dian.—  llis  idtimatc  Extinction. — Reasons  for  it. — Indian  Traders. — 
Troposcnl  semi-secular,  semi-missionary  Settlements. — The  Mission  at 
Metlakalitla. 

I  RKACHEi)  tlic  station  late  in  the  evening,  and,  after  a 
little  refreslunent,  turned  into  my  blankets  immediately, 
and  was  soon  fast  asleep.  Early  next  morning,  while  I 
was  yet  sleeping  soundly  in  comj)any  with  the  paekers  and 
two  of  the  workmen  who  were  about  to  leave  the  party, 
some  friendly  Indians  broke  into  the  room  without  warn- 
ing and  awoke  us,  saying,  in  an  exeited  and  disjointed 
manner,  that  the  man  in  charge  of  the  ferry  (thirty  mile.^ 
higher  up  the  river)  had  been  murdered  by  the  Chilicotens 
for  refusing  to  give  away  the  provisions  and  other  property 
in  his  care.     We  simply  laughed  at  the  idea,  knowing  that 

although  S ,  the  man  in  question,  was  sometimes  living 

alone,  the  working-party  was  near  him,  engaged  in  blasting 
rock,  bridging,  and  otherwise  building  the  road.  More- 
over, constant  communication  was  necessarily  held  between 
them — his  station  being  a  temporary  depot  for  provisions, 
tools,  and  blasting-powder.  The  pack-train  from  the  mouth 
of  the  river  made  a  regular  trip  to  him  about  every  six 
days,  and  we  believed  that  he  and  the  party  generally  were 
well  armed. 


J  . 


Canok  Ska-Tuip. 


41) 


•s. — Island  on 
— Si'CDiul  Mus- 
•cli  of  tlio  In- 
iind  Ki'iil  In- 
m  Trailers. — 
lio  Mission  at 


111(1,  after  n 
iinodiatoly, 
ig,  while  1 
lekers  and 
he  party, 
lout  warn- 
disjointed 
irty  miles 
hilicotens 
property- 
wing  that 
aes  living 
1  blasting 
More- 
bet  ween 
rovisions, 
he  mouth 
ivery  six 
dly  were 


The  superintendent  had  gladly  intrusted  letters  of  im- 
portanee  to  nie,  and  had  in  faet  rather  hurried  my  depart- 
ure in  order  that  they  should  reach  Victoria  by  an  early 
date.  1  therefore,  on  the  noon  of  the  same  day,  the  80th 
April,  left  the  river  by  canoe,  in  company  with  two  of  the 
workmen  and  one  Clayoosh  Indian.  The  latter  being  the 
owner  of  the  canoe,  proved  an  inexorable  tyrant,  and  kept 
us  paddling  for  three  days  from  early  dawn  to  dewy  eve. 
Although  these  "light  kanims,"  built  of  cedar,  appear  too 
frail  for  the  sea,  we  came  down  the  inlet,  and  crossed  the 
Gulf  of  Georgia  to  Nanaimo  Point,  Vancouver  Island,  in 
perfect  safety,  getting  then  a  fair  breeze  lill  the  end  of  our 
trip. 

I  have  many*  times  seen  tho  Indians  of  that  coast,  when 
migrating  from  one  village  to  another,  employ  two  canoes^ 
set  a  little  ajiart,  but  parallel  to  each  other,  and  covered 
with  planks.  Their  household  gods,  their  strings  of  clams, 
and  dried  fish,  are  piled  on  the  top  of  this  arrangement,  and 
a  man  seated  in  one  of  the  canoes  can  steer  it.  It  is  a  cap- 
ital contrivance  for  use  on  the  sea:  a  small  tiail  is  often 
hoisted  on  the  top  of  the  planks. 

As  long  as  the  weather  is  moderate  there  is  nothing 
more  pleasurable  than  lying  at  the  bottom  of  a  canoe, 
smoking  or  dozing,  while  it  cleaves  through  the  water ;  but 
in  a  rough  or  chopping  sea  one's  time  is  occupied  in  keep- 
ing it  baled  out,  and  the  Indian's  in  steering — a  careful  and 
difficult  operation.  "\Ve  camped  on  some  of  the  numerous 
islands  of  the  gulf,  and  had  capital  weather.  While  pass- 
ing through  "Dodd's  Narrows"  we  had  a  near  tussle  with 
fate.  The  water  there  at  ebb  or  flow  comes  with  the  whole 
force  of  the  tide  through  a  small  rocky  passage  in  eddies 
and  currents,  and  our  Indian,  usually  so  impassible,  was 
evidently  scared,  as  we  passed  between  two  opening  whirl- 
pools, and  within  a  few  feet  of  them.     We  paddled  for  life, 

D 


oO 


TSI-AN'I)    OX     KlKK. 


and  got  ihnnigli  safely.  llo  aftcrwiird  told  us,  pointing 
back  to  tliu  place  with  a  shudder,  "/////'  ,si-ica.sh  hi/<irk  rial- 
taiva  hvl'iniJbj  ija-ira T — "Many  savages  (Indians)  had 
<iuickly  gone  to  the  bottom  there,"  or  had  found  a  watery 


grave. 


At  one  of  our  midday  lialts  for  tea,  etc.,  we  set  a  whole 
island  on  fire.  Our  catnp-lire  being  built  at  the  base  of  a 
shelving  elilf,  set  light  to  some  dry  grass,  which  in  its  turn 
communicated  the  flame  to  the  underbrush  at  a  short  dis- 
tance, and  in  a  little  while  the  forest  itself,  covering  the 
whole  island,  formed  one  immense  conflagration.  The  last 
we  saw  of  it  was  a  cloud  of  smoke  on  the  horizon  some 
hours  afterward  as  we  skimmed  away  from  it  with  a  favor- 
ing breeze.  These  forest  lires  are  often  very  grand  sights, 
and  burn  for  weeks.  New  Westminster,  on  the  Fraser,  has 
had  some  veiy  narrow  escapes  from  total  destruction  from 
them. 

Wc  arrived  safely  in  Victoria  witliout  meeting  with  any 
further  incidents  of  special  interest,  and  were  generally  con- 
gratulated by  ])ersons  of  experience  on  having  made  a  very 
quick  trip.  The  distance,  lb5  miles,  had  occupied  us  five 
days,  camping  every  night. 

But  a  week  after  our  arrival — on  the  morning  of  the 
12tli  May — the  waiter,  in  common  with  all  Victoria,  was 
startled  and  horrified  by  news  just  arrived  from  Bute  Inlet 
via  Nanaimo.  Fourteen  out  of  seventeen  men  of  the  work- 
ing-party had  been  massacred  by  the  Chilicotens  under  cir- 
cumstances of  peculiar  atrocity  on  the  very  mormng  (the 
80th  April)  that  the  Indians  had  awoke  us  at  the  station 
(forty-three  miles  distant)  with  the  reported  death  of  the 
ferry-keeper.  lie,  poor  fellow,  liad  indeed  been  killed  the 
ilay  before,  but  they  had  not  been  satisfied  with  his  blood. 
On  the  early  morning  of  the  day  following  his  murder, 


I 


z 
o 

o 

» 

«» 
H 


! 


I 


I 

I 
\ 

r 


^a 


f 


US,  pointing 
//  I  If i<  irk  rial- 
luliiins)  had 
ud  II  wiilcry 

set  a  whole 
he  base  of  a 
h  in  its  turn 

a  sliort  dis- 
:ovcring  the 
n.  The  last 
:)rizou  sonic 
v'ith  a  favor- 
;rand  siglits, 
J  Frascr,  has 
ruction  from 

ng  with  any 
nerally  con- 
lade  a  very 
pied  us  five 


ling  of  the 
^ctoria,  was 
Bute  Inlet 
If  the  work- 
under  cir- 
rniimj  (the 
Ithe  station 
?ath  of  the 
killed  the 
his  blood. 
|s  murder, 


Ui 


'— Jj.'^ 


AIassa(;uk   at   I'ttk    Tnlkt. 


5.". 


whilr  tlx!  woiktiKUi  wrvr.  y(!t,  souritlly  .slccpiiif^,  tiic.  Indiiiiis 
had  surn)Uii(l(!(l  tlu;  caiiij),  ciil  tlio  tciit-polcs,  atni  dropp'id 
tJic  Iciits  on  their  victims,  firing  into  tlK^n  witli  their  rnuH- 
kets,  ;uid  niiining  knives  into  tlit-ir  bodies  till  all  hut  three; 
wci'o  <lis[)atehed. 

One  of  tlu;  snrvivors,  JV'terseti,  ;i  Dane,  told  tlio  writer 
tluil,  liearing  tl»e  shots,  lie  jiirnpcMl  ont  of  his  blankets,  and 
was  iinniediately  struck  at  by  an  Indian  >witli  an  ax(! ;  lie 
stepped  asid(;  just  to  see  it  fall  heavily  on  the  ground,  and 
a  few  seeonds  aft(;r  this  was  shot  .in  tlui  arm.  J^'aint,  and 
bl(M;ding  copiously,  he  plunged  into  the  river  hard  by,  and 
its  swift  waters  earrii^d  him  down  half  a  mile  over  the 
stones  and  "snags,"  bruising  him  much.  lie  managed  to 
reach  the  bank,  and  was  soon  after  rejoined  by  Mosley,  a 
man  who  had  es(;aped  almost  unhurt,  although  he  had, 
while  struggling  to  release  himself  from  the  falhai  tent, 
seen  long  knives  on  either  side  of  him  pierce  the  prostrate 
bodies  of  his  companions.  The  third  man,  Buckley,  an 
[rishman,  who  afterward  joined  them,  had  been  stabbed  re- 
peatedly by  the  Chilicotens,  and  fell,  faint  from  the  loss  of 
blood,  remaining  unconscious  for  hours,  and  they  left  him, 
imagining  he  was  dead.  These  men,  sick  and  down-heart- 
ed, on  arrival  at  the  ropc-fcny,  found,  that  the  boat  or 
"  scow  "  had  been  cut  adrift,  and  the  swift  current  had  car- 
ried it  away.  In  their  weak  condition,  they  had  no  means 
of  crossing  till  Buckley,  who  had  been  a  sailor,  managed  to 
rig  up  a  "travelling  loop,"  as  he  termed  it,  and  succeeded 
in  hauling  himself  over  on  the  cable  stretched  across  the 
river,  which  was  200  yards  wide  at  that  spot.  He  then 
«ent  over  the  "travelling  block"  (formerly  attached  to 
ropes  fixed  to  the  boat),  and  Petersen  and  Mosley  were  at 
length  brought  over  safely.  They  eventually  reached  the 
coast,  and  leaving  the  river's  mouth  by  canoe,  travelled 
slowly  to  Nanaimo,  Vancouver  Island,  where  they  got  the 


54 


A   Second  Massacre. 


mail-steamer  for  Vietoria.  The  superintendent  and  two 
others  who  on  the  morning  of  the  attaek  were  camped  a 
little  way  ahead  of  the  main  party,  had  risen  early,  and 
were  at  work  "  blazing,"  i.  c,  marking  the  trees  with  an 
axe  to  show  where  the  trail  should  go.  They  were  attacked 
and  shot  before  they  could  olfer  any  resistance.  It  is  said 
that  the  Indians,  glutted  with  blood,  tore  the  heart  out  of 
one  of  them  and  ate  it !  With  these  poor  fellows  I  had  just 
been  stopping ;  with  three  of  them  indeed  I  had  camped  as 
late  as  the  28th  of  April,  or  but  two  days  before  this  brutal 
transaction.  I  had  reason  indeed  to  be  grateful  for  my  es- 
cape. The  Chilicotens  were  well  provided  with  fire-arms. 
As  it  afterward  appeared,  a  number  of  guns,  sent  for  the 
protection  of  the  workmen,  had  been  paid  away  to  these 
natives  for  various  services,  and  it  was  therefore  true  that 
the  party  was  killed  by  its  own  weapons.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  men  were  virtually  unarmed,  having,  as  it  was 
afterward  shown,  but  one  gun  and  one  revolver  among 
them.  These,  from  the  sudden  and  treacherous  nature  of 
the  attack,  do  not  appear  to  have  been  of  the  slightest  as- 
sistance. From  the  apparent  friendliness  of  the  natives,  a 
fatal  security  had  reigned  among  the  party,  nor  could  any 
of  us  detect  the  slightest  ground  for  alarm.  I  was  myself, 
also,  totally  unarmed,  but  got  at  that  time  a  lesson  which  I 
have  taken  to  heart.  I  have  always  since  carried  a  trusty 
revolver,  and  have  found  that  except  in  those  rare  cases 
where  pistols  have  been  traded  to  natives,  they  have  a 
wholesome  dread  of  it. 

Alas !  the  story  is  but  half  told.  Three  weeks  later  a 
large  party  of  packers,  with  a  train  of  well-laden  mules, 
were  attacked  by  the  same  tribe  on  the  Bentinck  Arm 
trail,*  and  most  of  these  men  were  also  murdered.     It  need 

*  Bentinck  Arm  is  on  the  northern  coast  of  British  Columbia.     A  second 
route  bv  a  trail  exists  from  the  head  of  this  arm  of  the  sea  to  the  Cariboo 


A  Second  Massac liE. 


5r> 


and  two 
amped  a 
irly,  and 
with  an 
attacked 
[t  is  said 
["t  out  of 
had  just 
imped  as 
is  brutal 
r  my  es- 
ire-arms. 
,  for  the 
to  these 
rue  that 
le  other 
s  it  was 

among 
iture  of 
itest  as- 
itives,  a 
uld  any 

myself, 
which  I 
a  trusty 
^e  cases 

have  a 

later  a 

mules, 

k  Arm 

It  need 

A  second 
3  Cariboo 


»yjj 


hardly  be  said  that  intense  excitement  prevailed  in  the 
colony  ;  many  settlers  having  relatives  and  friends  in  iso- 
lated spots  of  this  thinly-settled  country,  and  being  appre- 
hensive of  further  danger  from  the  natives.  Great  sympa- 
thy was  naturally  expressed  for  Mr.  Waddington,  who  had, 
in  an  almost  unparalleled  manner,  undertaken  a  grand  work 
at  his  own  expense — one  which,  if  completed,  would  have 

rond.  Tlie  parrirulars  of  the  second  massacre  were  as  follows  :  "  (>ii  the 
17th  of  May  M'Doiiald  and  his  party  started  from  New  Aberdeen,  at  tlie 
head  of  Hentinck  Arm,  for  Fort  Alexandria,  on  the  Fraser.  They  had 
forty-two  pack  animals,  twenty-eigiit  of  which  were  loaded  with  goods  for 
tlie  mines,  valued  at  between  four  tiiousaiid  and  five  thousand  dollars.  On 
arriving  at  Nancootioon  Lake,  about  seventy-five  miles  from  the  Arm,  they 
met  witli  a  ])arty  of  Indians,  composed  of  tiie  Chilicoten,  Tatla,  and  Sitleece 
tribes,  among  the  number  being  two  of  the  murderers  of  Mr.  Waddington's 
party  at  Bute.  M'Dougall's  squaw,  who  was  a  daughter  of  one  of  the  Chili- 
coten chiefs,  here  learned  from  one  of  her  old  tiUicums  (friends)  that  the  In- 
dians intended  to  rob  and  murder  the  whole  party,  and  at  once  informed 
the  packers,  who,  becoming  alarmed,  began  to  retrace  their  steps,  when 
they  were  attacked  by  the  savages.  Two  of  the  number,  M'Dougall  and 
Higgins,  fell  from  their  horses  at  the  first  fire,  the  latter  shot  through  the 
breast ;  M'Donald's  horse  was  shot  nnder  him,  on  which  he  at  once  mount- 
ed another,  which  was  also  shot  down ;  he  then  took  to  the  bush,  and  when 
last  seen  was  standing  behind  a  tree,  shooting  at  the  Indians  with  his  re- 
volver. Barney  Johnson  was  badly  wounded  in  the  face  and  breast  by 
heavy  shot,  and  a  ball  passed  through  his  horse's  head,  killing  the  animal 
and  tearing  open  the  rider's  check.  Malcolm  M'Leod  was  wounded  with 
shot,  and  his  hand  badly  torn  by  a  ball.  Grant  got  a  ball  through  his  arm, 
and  his  side  filled  with  shot.  Frederick  Harrison  was  also  considerably  cut 
up.  Farquharson  was  the  only  one  who  escaped  unhurt,  although  his  horse 
was  shot  under  him.  He  escaped  into  the  bush,  where  he  was  four  days 
wandering  about  without  food  except  berries,  not  daring  to  return  to  the 
trail  for  foar  of  being  seen  by  the  Indians,  He  at  last  made  his  way  back 
to  the  head  of  the  arm.  M'Dougall's  squaw  was  also  shot  by  the  Indians, 
and  all  the  horses  and  property  carried  off.  Grant  found  his  way  to  Mr. 
Hamilton's  ranch,  about  twenty-five  miles  above  the  settlement  at  the  head 
of  the  Arm,  and  burst  in  upon  the  family,  his  face  and  body  streaming  with 
blood,  telling  them  of  the  massacre.  They  at  once  packed  up  a  few  valua- 
bles, and,  taking  their  arms  and  ammunition,  hastened  down  to  the  river 
and  embarked  in  a  canoe.  They  had  hardly  got  afloat  when  the  blood-thirs- 
ty villains  appeared  on  the  high  bank  above  them.  They  did  not  fire,  how- 
ever, being  intent  on  plundering  the  house,  and  the  little  party  fortunately 
made  their  escape  unhurt." — British  Colonist,  June  28,  18G4. 


56    Capture  of  some  of  the  Mukdereks. 


been  of  great  value  to  the  country.  The  Colonial  Govern- 
ment acted  with  great  promptness.  A  force  of  marines,  an 
additional  selected  and  paid  body  of  men,  and  the  New 
Westminster  Volunteers,  with  the  assistance  of  friendlv 
Indians,  endeavored  to  catch  the  murderers.  Parties  pro- 
ceeding from  the  coast  at  Bentinck  Arm.  and  Bute  Inlet, 
and  from  the  interior,  attempted  to  hem  tTiem  in  from  all 
sides,  and  Governor  Seymour  himself  took  a  prominent 
part  in  these  un^^nrtakings ;  but,  fron  the  inaccessible  na- 
ture of  the  country,  a  part  only  of  iLj  Indians  concerned 
were  ever  captured,  and  that  with  the  loss  of  an  excellent 
and  well-known  Hudson  Bay  Company's  man,  Captain 
M'Lean.  He  was  shot  by  the  Chilicotens  while  inriutious- 
ly  riding  in  advance  of  his  party.  The  Indians  taKen  were 
afterward  tried  in  due  form  and  hanged,  and  among  them 
was  old  Tellot,  my  companion  to  the  glacier. 

It  may  very  naturally  be  asked,  "What  motives  led  the 
natives  to  perpetrate  this  crime  ? 

I  believe  the  answer  is  a  simple  one  :  a  strong  desire  for 
plunder,  accompanied  by  the  knowledge  of  the  improba- 
bility in  that  country  of  ever  being  taken  and  brought  to 
justice.  That  any  provocation  had  been  given  them  I  do 
not  believe ;  Mr.  Waddington  was  well  known  to  have 
been  specially  indulgent  to  them. 

The  Indian  is  to  this  day  but  little  understood.  By  some 
he  is  looked  on  as  an  animal,  by  others  as  almost  a  hero 
of  romance.  The  ideal  Eed-skin,  the  painted  and  much- 
adorned  native  with  lofty  sentiments,  is  certainly,  as  far  as 
my  experience  goes,  a  very  rare  being  at  the  present  day, 
if  indeed  his  existence  at  any  time  is  not  to  be  considered 
mythical.  A  creature,  half  child — half  animal,  a  mixture 
of  simplicity  and  ferocity,  certainly  exists ;  but  though  a 
partial  civilization  may  have  varnished  his  exterior,  beneath 
the  thin  crust  the  savage  nature  lurks,  ever  ready  to  break 


4 


['''^^^yW-^. 


"^ 


ERS. 

1  Govern- 
arines,  an 
the  New 

friendly 
rties  pro- 
ite  Inlet, 

from  all 
rominent 
ssible  na- 
Dncerned 
3xcellent 

Captain 
"lutious- 
<.en  were 
ng  thera 

s  led  the 

esire  for 
mproba- 
)ught  to 
em  I  do 
to  have 

3  J  some 
a  hero 
I  much- 
LS  far  as 
nt  day, 
isidered 
nixture 
ough  a 
)eneath 
)  break 


Effects  of   Civilization. 


57 


I 


forth,  like  those  volcanic  mountains  whose  pure  snows  only 
hide  the  molten  lava  within. 

It  is  easy  enough  to  find  natives  who  have  abandc  ned 
that  simple  costume,  a  blanket,  for  more  decorous  clothing, 
who  can  swear  in  broken  English,  sing  "  Sally  come  up !" 
and  drink  all  the  camphene*  whiskey  they  can  obtain,  but 
it  is  very  rare  to  find  those  who  are  the  better  for  intercourse 
with  the  "  pale-faces,"  My  experience  is  decidedly  this, 
that  the  least  degraded  Indians  were  those  who  had  least  to 
do  with  the  white  man. 

But  the  importation  of  "  fire-water  "  is  not  the  only  evil: 
diseases  unknown,  or  little  known  before,  are  intioduced, 
and  the  mere  fact  of  the  white  man's  presence  among  the 
Indians  seems  to  foreshadow  their  ultimate  extinction. 
This  very  curious  point  is  carefull}''  discussed  by  a  recent 
writer,  Mr.  Sproat,  in  his  "  Scenes  and  Studies  of  Savage 
Life."  He  had  excellent  opportunities  for  a  detailed  ex- 
amination of  the  subject  at  his  saw-mill  settlement  of  Al- 
berni,  Barclay  Sound,  V.  I.  He  was  a  large  employer  of 
native  as  well  as  of  white  labor,  and  from  personal  obser- 
vation I  can  confirm  his  statements  with  regard  to  it.  The 
place  was  conducted  on  temperance  principles,  while  no 
violence  was  used  or  permitted  toward  the  natives.  They 
were  perhaps  better  fed,  better  clothed,  and  better  taught 
than  they  had  ever  been  before.  "  It  was  only,"  says  Mr. 
Sproat,  "  after  a  considerable  time,  that  symptoms  of  a 
change  among  the  Indians  living  nearest  the  white  settle- 
ment could  be  noticed.  Not  having  observed  the  gradual 
process,  my  mind  being  occupied  with  other  matters,  I 
seemed  all  at  once  to  perceive  that  a  few  sharp-witted 

*  In  Victoria,  V.  I.,  a  comparaiively  small  town,  there  were,  between 
1858-64  inclusive,  no  less  than  33G  "whisky  cases,"  i.e.,  men  taken  up 
on  suspicion  of  having  sold  ardent  spirits  to  natives,  and  240  of  the  number 
resulted  in  convictions. 


\'l 


i-'i 


hi 


58 


Mr.  Sproat's  Testimony. 


young  natives  bad  beconae  what  I  can  only  call  offensively 
European,  and  that  the  mass  of  the  Indians  no  longer  vis- 
ited the  settlement  in  their  former  free,  independent  way. 
but  lived  listlessly  in  the  villages,  brooding  seemingly  over 
heavy  thoughts."  Their  curiosity  had  been  satisfied,  they 
had  been  surprised  and  bewildered  by  the  presence  of 
"machinery,  steam-vessels,  and  the  active  labor  of  civilized 
men,"  and  they  seemed  to  have  acquired  a  distrust,  nay, 
almost  a  disgust  for  themselves.  They  began  to  abandon 
their  old  habits,  tribal  practices,  and  ceremonies.  "By- 
and-by,"  -.^-ontinues  Mr.  Sproat,  "  it  was  noticed  that  more 
than  the  usual  amount  of  sickness  existed  among  the  In- 
dians," and  "a  high  death-rate  continued  during  the  five 
years  I  was  there."  "  Nobody  molested  them,  they  had 
ample  sustenance  and  shelter  for  the  support  of  life,  yet  the 
people  decayed.  The  steady  brightness  of  civilized  life 
seemed  to  dim  and  extinguish  the  flickering  light  of  sav- 
ageism  as  the  rays  of  the  sun  put  out  a  common  fire.'* 

Now  supposing  these  views  to  be  correct,  and  the  In- 
dian to  be  aware  of  all  this — as  he  must  be  if  there  is 
truth  in  it  at  all — can  we  wonder  if  he  takes  any  chance, 
fair  or  foul,  to  expel  those  whom,  at  the  best,  he  looks  upon 
as  intruders  on  his  native  soil  ? 

There  are  few  places  more  favorably  situated  than  Al- 
berni,  placed  as  it  is  on  a  secluded  canal  or  arm  of  the  sea, 
and  it  was  really  a  model  settlement.  Yet — if  the  above 
statements  represent  the  actual  facts  of  the  case,  and  it  is 
my  belief  they  do — how  infinitely  worse  is  it  for  the  Indian 
in  places  open  to  every  trader,  and  where  there  is  no  check 
on  him  but  a  half-sustained  law.  Great  corporations  like 
the  Hudson's  Bay  and  the  Russian  American  Companies 
did  not  usually  sell  spirits  to  natives  at  all ;  but  private 
traders,  from  the  large  profits  attached  to  their  sale,  "did, 
and  do  it  without  hesitation,  and  the  mixtures  sold  would 


t-Liiw.^ 


Mission  at  Metlakaiitla. 


59 


Fensively 
nger  vis- 
ent  way, 
igly  over 
led,  they 
sence  of 
civilized 
ust,  nay, 
abandon 
-By- 
lat  more 

the  In- 
the  five 
ley  had 
,  yet  the 
zed  life 

of  sav- 


>^ 


the  In- 
ihere  is 
chance, 
lS  upon 

an  Al- 
fa e  sea, 

above 
id  it  is 
Indian 

check 
IS  like 
panics 
rivate 
3,  "did, 
^'011  Id 


infallibly  kill  any  ordinary  person — in  fact,  frequently  do 
kill  them.  For  the  Indian  who  has  acquired  a  love  of 
liquor  there  is  little  hope,  for  with  him  there  is  no  middle 
course.  Catlin  concisely  summed  up  our  relations  with 
the  red  men  when  he  said,  "  White  men — whisky — toma- 
hawks— sculping-knives — guns,  powder,  and  ball — small- 
pox— debauchery — extermination." 

The  subject  is  a  sad  and  wearying  one,  for  the  mission- 
ary can  hope  to  do  but  little  in  counteracting  such  influ- 
ences. Mr.  Sproat  suggests  the  formation  of  half-secular, 
half-missionary  establishments  in  native  villages  at  a  dis- 
tance from  white  settlements.  He  considers  that  five  white 
men — men  of  courage,  energy,  and  proved  morality,  and 
willing  to  forego  the  use  of  alcoholic  drinks — might  form 
such  an  establishment,  and  that  at  least  two  of  them  should 
know  a  trade.  The  leader  might  act  as  a  magistrate ;  and 
from  the  writer's  observation,  he  would  have  enough  to  do 
in  keeping  white  traders  from  the  neighborhood,  and  in 
preventing  such  men  from  overturning  the  very  objects  of 
the  settlement. 

Success  would  depend  purely  on  the  earnest,  unselfish, 
and,  in  a  word,  Christian  efforts  of  those  employed  in  the 
\.  ork.  In  the  United  States,  the  "  Indian  Agencies,"  some- 
thing very  similar  in  theory,  have  not  been  satisfactory  in 
practice,  solely  owing  to  the  greediness  of  those  engaged, 
who  used  them  as  a  means  of  personal  aggrandizement, 
and  left  the  Indians,  for  whose  benefit  they  were  intended, 
"  out  in  the  cold." 

The  Missionary  Duncan,  at  the  Met'akahtla  village  on 
the  coast  of  British  Columbia,  has  inaugurated  such  an  ex- 
periment. Among  the  natives  there  are  now  to  be  found 
expert  carpenters,  builders,  gardeners,  and  road-makers. 
A  part  of  them  own  a  small  vessel  which  takes  their  pro- 
duce— oil,  furs,  and   manufactured   articles — to  Victoria. 


m 


i 


•J 


60 


Mission  at  Metlakaiitla. 


On  her  periodical  return  to  tbe  settlement  dividends  are 
declared :  on  one  such  occasion  they  termed  her  Ahah^ 
"  the  slave,"  signifying  that  she  did  the  work,  and  they 
reaped  the  benefit.  The  success  of  this  station  is,  doubt- 
less, due  in  part  to  its  isolation  from  any  large  white  set- 
tlement, but  Mr.  Duncan  must  have  labored  earnestly  and 
incessantly  in  his  noble  work. 

I  think  it  is  fair  to  allude  to  one  objection  I  have  heard 
used — both  in  and  out  of  the  colony — to  Mr.  Duncan's 
work.  It  is  this,  that — for  a  missionary — he  is  "  too  much 
of  a  trader."  I  can  not  say  to  what  extent  or  in  what 
sense  this  may  be  true ;  I  do  not  myself  believe  it  in  any 
offensive  sense.  If,  however,  Mr.  Duncan,  from  a  little  pe- 
cuniary advantage  accruing  to  him,  should  be  induced  to 
prolong  his  stay  among  the  Indians,  and  follow  out  the 
work  of  civilization  he  is  engaged  in,  no  one  can  rightly 
complain.  The  majority  of  missionaries  do  not  stop  long 
enough  in  any  one  locality  to  acquire  a  thorough  knowl- 
edge of  the  native  dialects,  and  this  of  itself  must  be  a  fatal 
hinderance  to  their  efforts. 

If  this  gentleman,  by  giving  up  a  large  part  of  his  life 
for  the  benefit  of  these  savages,  can  at  the  same  time  make 
a  fortune,  may  success  attend  him  ! 


1 
I 


Ndjba* 


1 


Tleasuuks   of  Lauok. 


61 


a 


CUAPTER  IV. 

THE  INTERIOR  OF  VANCOUVER  ISLAND. 

Pleasuros  of  Labor. — Unknown  Interior  of  Vancouver  Island. — Expedition 
organized. — Cowiciian  River. — Somenos. — Kakalatzaund  liis  Hat-box. — 
Travel  up  the  River. — Our  Camps. — Camp  Yarns. — Indian  Version  of  the 
Book  of  Jonah. — Cowichan  Lake. — Rafting  Experiences. — The  "  llam- 
pant  Raft." — Brown's  Camp. — Acquisition  of  a  Canoe. 

Travelling  in  the  interior  of  Vancouver  Island  exhibits 
little  beyond  an  alternation  of  various  shades  of  mo.  r:/tony, 
so  that  the  nafrative  of  one  month's  experience  is  as  good, 
or  a  good  deal  better,  than  the  details  of  five.  Notwith- 
standing the  truth  of  this  statement,  I  count  some  of  the 
happiest  hours  of  my  life  in  the  time  spent  there.  Although 
no  believer  in  the  "  dignity"  of  labor,  I  can  well  believe  in 
its  pleasures.  When  a  man  can  enjoy  any  diet,  even  one  of 
beans — of  a  kind  at  home  only  given  to  horses — when  he 
considers  tea  the  best  and  most  refreshing  of  drinks,  it  is  a 
pretty  good  sign  that  he  is  in  vigorous  health,  that  he  sleeps 
well,  and  that  life  is  no  burden  to  him.  Such  was  our  ex- 
perience at  times  when  we  carried  on  our  backs  loads  from 
50  to  120  lbs.  in  weight,  through  a  rugged  country  where 
rivers  were  mountain  torrents,  the  woods  almost  a  jungle, 
and  where  we  rarely  turned  into  our  blankets  at  night,  ex- 
cept in  a  wet  condition. 

In  186-i  but  few  of  the  settlers  in  this  colony  had  pene- 
trated ten  miles  back  from  the  towns  and  settleijients  of  the 
east  coast ;  for  although  Captain  Richards  (now  Ilydrogra- 
pher  to  the  Navy),  Captain  Majme,  and  Messrs.  Pemberton 
and  Pearce  had  already  made  very  interesting  journeys  into 


m 


4: 


m 


62 


Expedition  Ouoanized. 


the  interior,  yet  the  results  of  their  explorations  were  little 
known.  Vietoria  had  been  built  and  sustained  by  the 
British  Columbian  mines,  and  fluctuated  with  them.  In  the 
spring  of  the  above-mentioned  year  her  eitizens  woke  up  to 
this  faet,  and  ah  expedition  organized  by  a  popular  com- 
mittee, and  endorsed  by  the  Colonial  Government,  was  im- 
mediately started.  A  naturalist — Mr.  liobert  lirown,  of 
Edinburgh — was  unanimously  chosen  leader.  For  astrono- 
mer we  had  Mr.  P.  Leech,  formerly  of  the  Royal  Engineers, 
and  the  writer  accompanied  the  expedition  as  artist.  Our 
party  numbered  nine  persons  exclusive  of  Indians,  and  was 
at  a  later  period  slightly  increased.  The  men  were  selected 
for  special  qualifications;  many  of  them  were  miners  by 
profession,  and  the  V.  I.  E.  E.  had  no  cause  to  be  ashamed 
of  its  members.* 

On  the  7th  June,  1864,  after  an  address  from  Governor 
Kennedy, f  himself  in  truth  the  originator  of  the  expedi- 
tion, we  left  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  wharf  in  Victo- 
ria on  board  11.  M.  Gun-boat  "  Grappler,"  bound  for  Cowi- 
chan,  a  settlement  thirty-five  miles  north  of  Victoria,  on 
the  east  coast  of  the  island.  Her  commander.  Captain  Var- 
ney,  was  also  an  ardent  promoter  of  the  proposed  explo- 
rations, and  to  him  the  writer  is  indebted  for  much  kindly 
courtesy. 

On  arrival  at  Cowichaii  Bay  we  landed  at  the  pretty  little 
settlement  of  Comiaken,  a  place  which  boasts  a  Roman 
Catholic  mission  and  several  farms  and  settlers'  houses. 
In  one  of  the  latter  we  enjoyed  so  much  hospitality  that  it 


*  Onr  party  comprised  the  following  men,  in  addition  to  those  named 
above  :  Mr.  John  Buttle,  assistant  naturalist ;  Messrs,  Barnston,  Macdonald, 
Lewis,  Mead,  and  Foley,  pioneers  and  miners ;  and  Thomas  Antoine  and 
Lazare  de  Buscay,  half-breed  hunters.  At  a  later  period  Mr.  Foley  left  our 
party,  and  Messrs.  Drew  and  Hooper  were  added  to  it. 

t  Now  Sir  Arthur  Edward  Kennedy,  C.  B.,  Governor  of  the  West  Africa 
Settlements. 


C  O  W  I C 11  A  N    II I  V  K  U  . 


03 


was  a  serious  question  whether  some  of  us  would  not  stop 
there,  and  let  our  travels  end  where  they  had  begun  ! 

On  the  yth  June,  after  a  "  hyas  wa-wa"  (big  talk)  with 
the  Indians,  Brown  at  length  sueceeded  in  hiring  a  canoe, 
and,  putting  the  larger  part  of  the  stuff  therein,  sent  it  up 
the  Cowichan  Kiver  in  charge  of  one  white  man  of  our 
party  and  several  Indians.  The  larger  part  of  us  proceeded 
by  land  direct  to  the  village  of  Sotnencs,  where  we  found 
several  large  lodges,  or  ''  rancheries,"  as  they  are  terined  in 
the  colony.  The  natives  were  drying  fish  and  clams  on 
strinufs  han";ing  from  the  rafters  of  their  dwclliuLifs,  and  were 
by  no  means  anxious  to  engage  in  our  service.  There  were 
two  reasons  for  this  reluctance,  which  was  one  of  tlie  main 
drawbacks  of  our  journey.  The  first  was  simply  that  they 
lived  so  easily,  getting  salmon,  deer,  and  beaver-meat  in 
abundance,  and  consequently  w^cre  indifferent  to  any  thing 
but  extremely  high  pay.  The  second  and  main  reason  was 
fear  of  surrounding  tribes,  especially  those  of  the  west  coast, 
who  were  accustomed  occasionally  to  kidnap  "unprotected 
males,"  and  carry  them  off  as  slaves.  At  length  "  Kaka- 
latza,"  an  old  "tyhee"  or  chief,  of  grave  but  dignified  ap- 
pearance, and  who  persisted  in  wearing  a  battered  chimney- 
pot hat,  given  to  him  by  some  settler,  was  engagecl  to  act 
as  our  guide  to  the  Cowichan  Lake,  but  this  was  on  the  un- 
derstanding that  we  allowed  him  to  take  his  hat-box  with 
him ;  and  every  night  afterward  he  carefully  deposited  his 
beaver  in  it  before  retiring  into  his  blankets.  Kakalatza 
and  his  hat  were  inseparable.  Here,  too,  a  half-breed, 
Thomas  Antoine  by  name,  but  known  elsewhere  as  "  Tomo," 
joined  us,  and  proved  a  great  acquisition.  He  could  speak 
any  number  of  Indian  dialects,  was  a  good  sliot,  though  he 
had  but  one  arm,  could  travel  or  "pack"  with  the  best,  and 
was  reliable  except  when  he  got  hold  of  some  whisky,  when 
he  was  a  perfect  devil.     Spirits  seem  to  have  even  more 


! 


-  !■: 


Ml 


e4 


OuH  Cami's  —  Camp- Yarns. 


uttraction  for  ilic  luiH-brocd  than  for  the  full  Indian,  and 
■   more  influence  upon  him. 

The  succeeding  days  much  resembled  each  other,  most 
of  us  proceeding  through  the  forests  with  packs  of  no  light 
weic^ht,  while  the  canoe  was  poled  up  the  strong  current  of 
the  river — paddles  being  useless,  and  oars  impracticable. 
The  river  was  a  succession  of  "  rillles,"  or  rapids,  small  and 
large,  alternating  with  comparatively  quiet  water.     Some- 
times the  canoe  had  to  be  towed,  and  sometimes  carried 
bodily ;  in  several  places  all  hands  had  to  make  a  "  portage," 
or  carry  the  goods  over  the  rocks,  to  a  higher  and  better 
part  of  the  stream.     We  found  the  banks  thickly  timbered, 
and  where  the  Douglas  pine,  spruce,  and  hemlock  had  grown 
under  favorable  circumstances,  the  place  resembled  a  beau- 
tiful park;  but  for  the  most  part  it  was  a  tangle  of  under- 
brush, mingled  with  fallen  logs  in  all  stages  of  decay,  and 
woods  in  all  degrees  of  luxuriance.     But  if  our  travelling 
was  troublesome,  the  evening  camp  more  than  made  up  foi* 
all,  when  a  good  log-fire,  a  bed  of  fir-brush,  and  a  pipe  made 
us  happy,  and  where  we  could  comfortably  sleep — for  the 
most  part,  with  no  canopy  but  that  of  heaven.     There  is  no 
climate  in  the  world,  California  not  excepted,  more  delicious 
than  that  of  Vancouver  Island.     We  were  generally  fortu- 
nate, too,  at  this  time  in  getting  grouse  or  deer-meat,  and 
our  party  thought  nothing  of  polishing  off  a  whole  deer  at  a 
couple  of  meals.     Wc  had  to  abandon  and  leave  behind 
many  a  rib,  and  even  haunch  of  venison,  it  being  impossi- 
ble to  carry  any  more  than  we  already  had  on  our  backs  in 
the  shape  of  beans  and  flour,  blankets,  frying-pans,  pots,  and 
instruments. 

And  then  the  yarns  of  those  evening  camps !  Macdon- 
ald's  story — often  begun  and  never  ended — the  narrative 
of  his  eventful  life.  Born  on  Fraser  River,  the  son  of  a 
Hudson's  Bay  chief  trader,  the  tedious  barter  with  Indians 


JoN'AH    IS    TFIK     PacIKH'. 


06 


for  tliL'ir  pcllrics  had  proved  distasteful  to  liiin,  and  ho  ran 
away,  when  quite  young,  to  sea,  got  shipwrecked,  and  de- 
tained a  prisoiKir  in  ,I:ij)an.     Here  he  was  closely  eonlined, 
but  on  the  whole  well  treated,  till  he  was  rescued  from  the 
Japanese  by  Commodore  Perry,  U.  S.  Navy,  when  he  called 
t)\ere  on  his  well-known  expedition.     After  many  wander- 
ings, ^lac  brought  lip  in  Australia,  mined,  made  money,  and 
spent  it;  had  once  kept  a  gand»ling-houso  and  dancing- 
booth  at  the   "diggings."     Later  the   liritish  Columbian 
mines  had  attracted  him  back  to  his  earliest  home;  he  had 
"  run"  a  ferry  on  Fraser  River,  kept  a  grog-sho})  at  Lillooet, 
and  played  the  "honest  miner"  in  Cariboo,  and  now,  hale 
and  hearty  as  ever,  was  a  member  of  the  V.  I.  K.  E.     Or 
else  the  Indian  yarns  of  Tomo,  many  of  them  childish,  some 
incomprehensible,  but  sometimes  showing  that  the  natives 
have  inventive  power  and  a  sense  of  humor.     Here  is  one 
of  them,  apparently  a  native  version  of  the  book  of  Jonah  ! 
"An  Indian,  paddling  in  his  'frail  kanim'  on  the  great 
'salt  chuck'  or  sea,  was  swallowed — canoe  and  all — by  a 
great  fish,  and  lay  down  at  the  bottom  of  its  belly,  sad  at 
heart,  thinking  it  was  all  up  with  him,  and  that  never  more 
would  he  see  his  people.     But  in  the  midst  of  ].is  afilic- 
tion  comfort  came  to  him  ;  a  brilliant  idea  flashed  through 
his  brain — sweet  revenge  was  at  least  possible,  and  he  pro- 
ceeded to  execute  a  hastily  conceived  project.     He  cut  his 
paddles  into  shavings — '  wittled '  them,  as  a  Yankee  would 
say — broke  his  canoe  into  fragments,  and  lighted  a  great 
fire  on  the  floor  of  the  creature's  stomach.     It  was  not  lonir 

I. 

before  the  fish  showed,  by  a  tortuous  uncomfortable  wrig- 
gling of  his  body,  that  this  operation  did  not  agree  with 
him,  and  he  consequently  attempted,  by  swallowing  wave 
after  wave,  to  cool  his  fevered  body,  but  did  not  succeed  in 
putting  out  the  fire,  though  our  hero  was  nearly  drowned 
in  the  operation.     Our  Indian,  averse  to  water  at  all  times, 

E 


H6 


CowicirAX  Lakp:. 


il'i 


appeared  at  this  juncture  to  get  in  a  very  bad  temper,  and 
drawing  his  long  knife,  stabbed  the  lining  of  the  creature's 
inside  till  the  coats  of  its  stomach  were  in  a  very  dilapidutod 
state.  It  was  evidently  expiring  fast,  and  swam  ashore  on 
the  beach.  Here,  while  it  lay  in  the  agonies  of  death,  our 
friend  cautiously  crept  up  its  throat,  and  through  its  gasp- 
ing mouth,  just  in  time  to  avoid  the  collision  of  its  jaws, 
which  came  together  with  a  terrific  crash,  and  the  great  fish 
was  dead  !"  This  formed  part  only  of  a  long  story  ;  many 
such  we  had,  and  varied  them  by  making  the  woods  echo 
with  the  latest  gems  of  "  nigger  "  minstrelsy,  or  even  more 
classical  productions. 

The  Cowichan  Eiver  is  about  forty  miles  in  length  ;  but 
a  mi^ch  shorter  route  to  the  great  lake,  its  source,  is  possible 
by  land.  In  several  places  it  passes  through  canons,  small 
rocky  gorges,  in  which  the  water  boils  and  frets  in  eddies 
and  rapids  over  sunken  rocks.  It  was  but  a  type  of  three 
parts  of  the  streams  on  the  island.  Every  locality  on  its 
banks  had  appropriate  native  names.  One  fresh  verdant 
spot  near  a  deserted  Indian  lodge  was  Saatlam,  "  the  place 
of  green  leaves ;"  another,  an  open  prairie  in  the  woods, 
was  Quali's,  "  the  warm  place." 

On  the  15th  June  we  found  the  forest  getting  thicker, 
the  trees  larger,  and  the  soil  evidently  richer,  a  sign  that 
we  were  nearingthe  lake  ;  and  later  the  same  day  we  camp- 
ed by  its  placid  waters.  One  cedar  near  this  spot  measured 
thirty-live  feet  in  circumference  at  a  height  of  five  feet  from 
the  ground.  In  this  country  very  valuable  timber  is  nec- 
essarily useless  at  the  present  time,  from  the  fact  that  there 
are  in  most  cases  no  available  means  of  transport  to  the 
coast,  the  rivers  usually  being  tortuous,  and  blocked  at  in- 
tervals by  accumulations  of  drift-wood.  One  occupation  is 
alone  possible — so  far  as  the  interior  forests  are  concerned 
— and  that  has  hitherto  attracted  little  attention  on  Van- 


CowiciiAX  Lake. 


o; 


imp- 
lured 
from 
inec- 
Ibere 
the 
in- 
m  is 
[nod 


couver  Island :  I  allude  to  the  manufacture  of  rosin  and 
turpentine.  In  forests  in  Oregon  of  almost  exactly  the  same 
character  it  has  become  a  profitable  employment,  and  the 
products  are  items  of  export  from  that  country. 

The  Indian  name  for  Cowichan  Lake,  a  very  calm,  beau- 
tiful sheet  of  water,  is  "  Kaatza,"  and  a  long  peninsula 
stretching  into  it,  and  v;idening  at  its  termination  into  a 
thickly-wooded  knoll,  is  "Kanatze,"  "the  island  in  tow." 
One  considerable  stream  and  several  minor  ones  enter  it. 

After  making  sundry  surveys  and  explorations,  we  di 
vided  our  forces :  one  party,  under  Leech,  proceeded  in  as 
direct  a  course  as  might  be  to»Port  San  Juan,  while  Brown, 
myself,  and  four  of  the  men,  started  for  the  Nittinalit  River, 
in  the  direction  (as  we  had  learned  on  Indian  authority)  of 
its  upper  waters. 

Bidding  then  adieu  to  "  Kakalatza"  and  his  hat,  we 
shouldered  our  packs,  and,  travelling  through  the  forests,  at 
length  reached  a  stream  flowing  in  a  westerly  direction, 
which  we  concluded  was  the  one  in  question.  Our  supplies 
were  down  to  starvation-point,  and  we  lost  no  time  in  com- 
mencing the  construction  of  a  raft.  On  the  26th  June,  this 
being  finished,  we  started  down,  going  smoothly  enough, 
except  when  our  bark  was  brought  to  a  stand-still  on  the 
shallow  "  riflles."  Then  all  hands  lightened  her  by  getting 
into  the  water,  lifted  her  over  the  boulders,  and  then  all 
aboard,  and  away  we  went,  shooting  some  of  the  deeper 
rapids  very  successfully.  But  at  length  the  distant,  though 
unmistakable  roar  of  a  fall,  warned  us  that  we  must  resume; 
our  travel  by  land.  It  was  fortunate  that  we  did  so  in 
time,  for  on  examination  of  the  rapid  we  found  it  to  be  one 
of  a  serious  nature,  and,  had  we  proceeded,  it  is  questiona- 
ble whether  there  would  have  been  one  left  to  tell  the  tale. 
We  resumed  our  packs,  and  followed  an  Indian  trail,  which 
brought  us  at  night  to  a  deserted  lodge,  and  there  we  camp- 


i  'Uiil 


m 


08 


X  I  I' T  I  X  A  II T    li  I  V  I-:  \i , 


ed.  Near  it  on  the  bank  lay  an  old  cedar  canoe,  and  we  at 
once  set  to  work  to  calk  it,  and  make  it  as  water-tight  as 
possible.  Mr.  Brown,  who  had  planned  the  routes  with 
care,  knew  that  an  inlet  existed  at  the  termination  of  the 
Nittinaht  River;  but  it  was  a  matter  of  uncertainty  wheth- 
er we  had  reached  that  stream,  and  it  behooved  us  nil  to  be- 
stir ourselves  on  account  of  the  state  of  our  supplies. 

On  the  morning  of  the  27th  Brown  and  Barnston  started 
down  in  this  shak}^  old  canoe,  which  leaked  like  a  sieve, 
and  an  hour  or  so  afterward  Macdonald  and  myself  got  on 
board  a  raft  of  very  limited  dimensions  to  follow  them.  It 
was  composed  of  boaids  and  logs,  mostly  taken  from  the 
Indian  lodge,  and  wa'"  held  together  by  the  ropes  of  oiw 
blanket  packs,  the  necessary  holes  pierced  in  some  cases  by 
pistol  bullets.  We  left  our  companions.  Buttle  and  Lewis, 
to  follow  through  the  bush,  and  to  attempt,  as  they  fondly 
hoped  it  might  prove,  a  "  short  cut."  We  tied  our  bundles 
to  two  upright  posts  fixed  on  the  raft,  poled  into  the  stream, 
and  off  we  shot. 

We  found  the  river  a  series  of  rapids  alternating  with 
silent  and  deep  pools.  These  last  gave  us  really  harder 
work  than  any  other  part  of  our  journey.  We  could  not 
usually  touch  bottom  with  our  poles,  while  it  was  very  dif- 
ficult to  keep  the  raft  in  shore.  On  the  "rifiles"  it  was 
pure  fun,  mixed  with  a  dash  of  danger.  The  current  act- 
ing on  the  stern  of  our  craft  with  300  lbs. — Macdonald's 
weight,  as  steersman — took  it  under  water  several  feet, 
while  the  bows  were  elevated  in  the  air.  Several  times  a 
curious  sight  might  have  been  witnessed,  that  of  a  raft 
shooting  past  at  the  rate  of  six  or  eight  miles  an  hour,  and, 
standing  nearly  uiwnjld  in  the  tvatei\  a  "raft  rampant,"  as  it 
were,  with  a  couple  of  half-drowned  explorers  hanging  on 
with  comical  desperation.  It  need  not  be  stated  that  on 
such  a  river  our  bark  whirled  round  in  the  eddies  every 


I 


Id's 
Feet, 
?s  a 
raft 
md, 
Is  it 


THE  RAMPANT  RAFT. 


on 
on 


^ry 


Rafting  Experiences. 


71 


few  minutes,  and  the  stern  became  the  bows,  and  vice  versd. 
Twice  we  were  directly  spilt  in  the  water,  and  once  sucked 
in  beneath  a  number  of  huge  logs,  under  which  the  current 
swept  violently,  but  we  escaped  with  a  few  bruises.  Ac- 
cumulations of  drift-wood  occurred  constantly  on  the  river, 
and  made  navigation  an  affair  of  constant  watchfulness. 

We  often  as  before  brought  up  against  boulders  in  the 
river,  and  had  to  lighten  her,  the  water  meantime  rushing 
past  with  fury,  and  then  had  to  scramble  on  again,  or  we 
should  have  been  left  behind.  A  few  moments  after  this, 
the  cry,  a  very  constant  one,  was  "  Duck  your  head !"  as 
we  sLot  under  overhanging  banks,  branches,  and  half-fallen 
trees.  I  was  reminded  ever  and  anon  of  early  experiences 
in  donkey-riding,  when  that  patient  but  vicious  animal 
'Would  bruise  my  legs  against  every  wall,  and  would  run 
under  trees  that  just  allowed  him  to  pass  completely,  but 
that  nearly  swept  me  from  the  saddle.  Our  raft  seemed  to 
be  "possessed"  in  like  manner.  Mac  was,  as  usual,  thor- 
oughly good-tempered,  and  the  events  of  that  day  made  us 
faster  friends  than  ever.  We  went  ashore  two  or  three 
times,  and  had  several  luscious  though  unsatisfying  meals 
of  "  salmon  "  and  "  salall "  berries.  In  other  respects  our 
provisions  were  so  low  tha-t  we  were  well  inclined  to  make 
a  quick  trip. 

We  despaired  of  reaching  Brown's  camp  that  evening, 
when  smoke  wafting  up  the  river,  the  grateful  smell  of  a 
camp-fire  reached  our  nostrils,  and  a  few  minutes  afterward 
turning  a  bend  of  the  stream,  we  discovered  our  friends 
camped  on  a  flat  bar  at  what  was  virtually  its  termination. 
After  their  experiences  in  the  canoe  they  were  surprised  to 
see  us,  and,  as  it  proved,  we  were  more  fortunate  than  the 
men  who  followed  us.  The  next  afternoon  they  arrived, 
fatigued  and  hungry,  and  perfectly  satisfied  that  "short 
cuts  "  in  that  country  were  a  delusion  and  a  snare.     They 


72 


Acquisition  of  a  Canoe. 


liad  like  us  essayed  a  raft,  Vuc  had  not  been  able  to  man- 
age it. 

Before  they  arrived  our  eompanions  had  found,  at  a  little 
distance  below  the  mouth  of  the  river,  an  uninhabited  lodge, 
and  near  it  a  canoe,  which  was  immediately  "  pressed,"  says 
Brown,  in  his  report  to  the  Colonial  Government,  "into  the 
service  of  the  expedition,  in  the  name  of  her  most  gracious 
majesty.  Queen  Victoria,  and  her  faithful  deputy,  his  ex- 
cellency Artlmr  Edward  Kennedy."  We  set  to  work  to 
calk  it  with  flour-bags  and  pine-gum,  preparatorj^  to  an 
early  start  on  the  morrow. 


h 


NlTTIXAHT    IXLET. 


73 


b 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE  INTERIOR  OF  VANCOUVER  ISLAND. 

Nittitmht.— "Whyack."— The  Indians.— Alit  Tribes.— The  Rroakcrs.— 
Port  San  Juan. — Indian  Yarn. — Suoke. — Basin  and  River. — Discovery 
of  Gold. — Gold  on  Queen  Charlotte's  Island. — Nanainio. — Coal-seam 
at  Comox. — Ascent  of  I'untlcdge  River. — Wreck  of  Canoe. — Interior 
Lakes. — Barclay  Sound. — Game  List. — Camp-marks. 

Very  early  the  next  morning  we  made  a  start,  a  liglit, 
favorable  breeze  had  risen,  and,  hoisting  a  blanket  sail,  we 
skimmed  away  gayly  before  it.  Even  now  we  were  not 
absolutely  certain  that  we  had  reached  the  wishcd-for  Nit- 
tinaht  Inlet,  but  appearances  were  in  favor  of  that  view. 
We  passed  several  Indian  villages  with,  however,  no  signs 
of  life  about  them,  and  toward  evening  found  the  inlet  nar- 
rowing. The  tide  swept  through  it  in  many  an  eddy  and 
whirlpool,  and  we  could  hear  the  noise  of  breakers  outs-ide 
— a  convincing  proof  that  we  had  almost  reached  the  coast. 
A  few  minutes  of  specially  hard  paddling  took  us  out  of 
the  current  into  a  quiet  bay  behind  the  Nittinaht  village 
of  "Whyack,"  where  a  troop  of  wild-looking  savages 
watched  our  approach  with  evident  surprise. 

"  Mokoola,"  the  chief,  was  absent,  and  a  part  of  his  tribe 
with  him ;  but  those  remaining  in  the  village  treated  us 
well,  and  pointed  out  a  flat  place  behind  it  for  our  camp. 
We  were  soon  engaged  in  bartering  for  halibut,  etc.,  and 
they  crowded  round  to  see  how  we  cooked  it,  and  perhaps 
to  watch  an  opportunity  for  pilfering.  Their  blankets  give 
an  excellent  chance  for  obtaining  and  concealing  any  thing 
lying  round  a  camp :  we  lost  two  axes  and  an  auger  at  this 
place. 


ir 


The  Indians. 


It  was  on  this  coast  and  ncigliborbood  that  Mr.  Sproat 
mado  the  careful  studies  and  observations  on  Indian  habits 
and  character  which  he  has  recently  laid  before  the  public. 
The  aiHicxed  portrait  of  an  Aid"  native  is  no  imaginative 
production,  but  is  taken  from  a  photograph  made  on  the 
spot,  and  gives  a  fair  idea  of  the  type  of  native  we  met  at 
this  village.  The  unkempt  hair,  the  wreath  of  leaves  put 
on  much  for  the  same  purpose  as  they  are  often  put  on  the 
heads  of  cart-horses — to  keep  off  flies  and  musquitoes,  and 
also  for  ornament. — ai.d  the  limited  amount  of  costume,  are 
all  charactc*'  't^tjs  of  the  west  coast  natives.  The  pin  stuck 
in  one  side  r  *iis  i  v^stril  is  simply  put  there  for  conven- 
ience, when  noi  reqi  ^  ..d  for  fastening  the  blanket  across 
his  manly  bosom !  A  large  number  of  these  people  have 
small  holes  drilled  through  the  cartilage  between  the  nos- 
trils, in  which  they  not  unfrequently  wear  rings;  it  is  no 
uncommon  thing  for  them  to  insert  their  blanket-pins  in 
them  temporarily,  for  want  of  a  better  place. 

But  on  festive  occasions  and  dances  these  "  nasty  In- 
jicns  "  do  not  deem  themselves  sufficiently  ugly,  and  there- 
fore put  on  masks  carved  from  wood,  and  often  very  gro- 
tesque and  curious.  Tlie  original  of  our  illustration  is 
nearly  two  feet  in  height,  but  much  larger  ones  are  worn, 
and  some  of  the  chiefs  have  a  complete  series  of  "  proper- 
ties "  of  this  kind.  Some  of  them  are  ingeniously  con- 
structed, and  have  strings  arranged  to  move  the  eyes,  open 
the  beak,  etc.  They  are  common  to  all  the  tribes  of  Van- 
couver Island. 

The  Nittinahts  bear  a  bad  reputation  ;  and  owing  to  the 
inaccessible  coast  round  "  Whyack,"  the  heavy  surf  and 
breakers  off  the  entrance  to  the  inlet,  and  the  fact  that  they 


*  Aht  is  the  generic  name  given  by  Mr.  Sproat  to  the  tribes  of  the  west 
and  south  coast  of  Vancouver  Island,  or,  rather,  is  the  generic  termination 
of  most  of  the  native  names;  thus,  Nittinalit,  Khiho-quaht,  etc. 


'? 


«.;/-'.:-,;.v 
AHT  NATIVE,  WEST  COAST  OF  VANCOUVER  ISLAND 


r 


TlIH    M  n  TIN  A  Hid. 


i  i 


EXAMPLE   OF  MASK   WOllN    UV    NA'nVKri  OF   VANCOUVEU  ISLAND. 


nave  stockaded  their  village,  they  consider  themselves  al- 
most impregnable,  and  safe  from  attack,  ^fhey  have  in 
days  gone  by  often  waged  war  on  surrounding  tribes,  and 
even  on  those  of  the  opposite  coast  of  Washington  Territo- 
ry. The  terrible  Bute  Inlet  massacre  was  so  fresh  in  our 
memories  that  we  kept  a  careful  "  watch  "  by  turns  all 
night.  "  Whyack  "  is  famous  for  the  manufacture  of  cedar 
canoes,  and  we  saw  many  there  in  course  of  construction 
from  single  logs.  The  models  of  these  craft  were  extreme- 
ly good ;  I  have  not  seen  better  in  any  other  part  of  the 
island. 

Next  morning,  after  a  couple  of  hours'  haggling,  we  hired 
a  large  canoe,  and  three  Indians  to  manage  it.  Our  goods 
being  put  on  board,  it  was  hauled  to  the  water's  edge,  where 
we  all  stood  more  or  less  in  the  surf.  The  right  moment 
at  length  arrived,  the  retreating  wave  lifted  our  bark,  we 
scrambled  on  board,  and  paddled  with  all  our  might  till 


(I 


78 


Pout   San  Juan. 


(jlcar  of  the  bnuikcrs.  "\Vc  then  lioistcMl  a  mat  sail,  and. 
leaving  the  Indians  to  manage  it,  lay  down  at  the  bottom 
of  the  eanoe  and  smoked  our  pipes  in  comfort. 

We  rounded  the  southernmost  end  of  Vancouver  Island, 
and  arrived  at  Port  San  Juan,  or  Paehenah,  without  acci- 
dent, finding  there  Mr.  Lawton,  a  well-known  trader,  who 
welcomed  us  kindly,  and  immediately  spread  a  meal  that 
seemed  a  princely  ban(piet  after  our  week  of  semi-starva- 
tion. A  few  diiya  after  our  arrival  Leech  and  his  party 
came  in,  worn  out  with  fatigue  and  hunger,  and  their 
clothes  in  tatters.  A  distance  of  twenty  miles — on  the  ma]} 
— had  occu])ied  ten  days  to  travel,  and  they  used  very 
strong  and  emphatic  language  in  regard  to  an  old  Admiral- 
ty chart  on  which  their  route  was  marked  as  "  level  plains!" 
Their  journey  had  been  of  the  most  difficult  nature,  over  a 
constant  succession  of  mountains,  and  through  the  usual 
thick  forests.  To  proceed  one  mile,  they  had  to  travel  five ; 
and  when  they  at  length  reached  the  San  Juan  River,  it 
was  found  to  pass  through  gorges  specially  inaccessible,  and 
to  be  in  fact,  for  the  larger  part  of  its  course,  a  brawling 
torrent.  Among  other  specimens  brought  in  by  Leech  was 
a  fragment  of  undoubted  plumbago.  Coal  was  also  ob- 
served by  us  in  the  neighborhood,  but  in  thin  seams  only. 

Mr.  Lawton,  then  living  by  himself,  and  with  no  white 
neighbors  within  thirty  or  forty  miles,  was  very  glad  to  see 
us,  and  had  an  unlimited  budget  of  yarns.  Once  during 
his  stay  at  Paehenah  the  Nittinahts  had  made  a  warlike  ex- 
cursion to  the  Cape  Flattery  Indians  of  the  opposite  coast 
(Washington  Territory),  and  had  brought  home  twenty-six 
human  heads  as  their  spoil,  which  they  brought  up  to  his 
log-house  with  savage  glee.  They  then  left  for  their  own 
village,  and  Lawton  knew  well  that  a  return  visit  would 
be  made  by  the  outraged  tribe,  and  that  they  would  not  bo 
particular  whom   they  attacked,  even   though  they  were 


Rki'ULsk  of   Indian's, 


79 


iCC 


ng 


white  Rottlcrs.  Ho  acconliugly,  with  ono  whito  imin  then 
with  him,  biirriciulcd  tho  clours  a!ul  windows  of  his  house, 
and  k('pt  a  constant  watcii.  Thi^y  had  a  hirgo  quantity  of 
tra(hng  guns  lying  there,  and  they  determined  to  load  every 
one  of  tliem,  and  give  tho  attaeking  party  a  thorough  good 
peppering.  They  had  not  long  to  wait;,  but  ono  night 
ela})sed  before  the  plash  of  })addles  was  heard  npproaciiing 
in  the  bay.  They  stopped  opposite  the  Pachenali  Indian 
lodges;  all  was  silent  as  the  tomb,  the  inhabitants  had  (led. 
Enraged,  they  made  for  Lawtou's  house,  their  hearts  full  of 
vengeance,  and  ready  to  wreak  it  out  on  the  first  man  they 
met.  Tiieir  canoes  were  just  touching  the  beach,  when  tho 
two  men  inside  let  lly  at  them,  and  took  up  musket  after 
musket  so  ra[)idly  that  the  Indians  thought  there  must  bo 
a  large  party  inside,  and,  howHng  witii  disa[)pointment, 
made  off  in  the  greatest  confusion,  paddling  for  dear  life. 
They  never  gave  any  further  trouble. 

After  the  arrival  of  a  sloop  from  Victoria  with  provisions 
for  the  ensuing  month,  we  left  for  Sookc  Basin  or  Harbor  in 
two  canoes,  and  in  the  lovely  Straits  of  Fuca  soon  got  a 
favorable  breeze.  This  increased  so  suddenly  that  we  lost 
one  of  our  sails  by  a  squall  of  wind,  and  we  had  to  make  a 
tent  do  duty  for  it.  On  tliis  trip  we  noticed  fair  outcrop- 
})ings  of  coal  on  a  low  cliff  on  the  coast  near  Sookc.  This 
may  well  be  considered  a  continuation  of  the  coal  measures 
already  worked  on  the  opposite  coast,  at  Clallam  Bay,  Wash- 
igton  Territory. 
On  the  13th  July  we  commenced  the  ascent  of  the  Sookc 
Riv'^r  ("  Soak  "  more  nearly  expresses  the  Indian  pronuncia- 
tion), a  stream  much  resembling  the  Cowichan  lliver  before 
mentioned,  but  even  less  navigable.  It  was  there  that  ^ve 
made  the  first  important  discovery  of  our  expedition-  t  :ie 
that  for  a  time  revolutionized  Victoria.  In  brief,  frold  was 
found  in  paying  quantities ;  a  "rush"  took  place  when  the 


i'  ';i 


80 


Discovery  of  Gold. 


news  roHched  Victoria,  and,  before  the  end  of  tlie  season, 
100,000  dollars'  worth  of  the  precious  metal  had  been  taken 
out.  It  is  admitted  that  tew  persons  made  extremely  large 
"piles"  or  stakes,  but  many  made  for  the  time  very  high 
wages.  13oard  and  "  shingle  "  stores,  grog-shoi)s,  and  hotels 
were  run  up  in  numbers  out  of  all  proportion  to  the  wants 
of  the  locality,  and,  as  in  other  places,  it  was  a  question 
whether,  for  every  dollar  obtained,  iico  had  not  been  spent 
in  the  operation ! 

Large  numbers  of  Chinamen  eventually  worked  this 
ground,  and  as  provisions  were  tolerably  cheap  on  the  spot, 
especially  after  trails  were  made  from  the  nearest  road,  th(> 
discovery  was  deemed  one  of  value,  and  a  reward  in  hard 
cash  was  voted  and  paid  to  us  by  the  Colonial  Government. 
The  principal  stream  was,  by  the  general  wish  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  expedition,  named  after  Leech,  our  astronomer. 

As  yet  nothing  equal  to  these  diggings  has  been  found 
on  the  island,  but  from  the  indications  observed  by  us  in 
innumerable  other  places,"'^  and  from  the  well-known  yield 
of  the  main-land,  it  can  not  be  doubted  that  Vancouver  Isl- 
and has  other  fields  of  the  same  character,  as  yet  undevel- 
oped. On  Queen  Charlotte's  Island  also  the  precious  metal 
is  known  to  exist,  although  the  precise  locality  of  the  d(^- 
posit  has  never  been  satisfactorily  ascertained.  It  is  stated 
that  a  gentleman  in  the  Hudson's  Ba}'-  service  found  the 
Uaidah  Indians  of  that  island  using  golden  bullets  in  place 
of  l(\aden  ones ! 

For  very  interesting  reports  of  the  explorations  once 
made  on  Queen  Charlotte's  Island  by  Captain  Torrens,  and 
also  by  Major  Downie,  both  ger  demen  well  known  to  me,  I 
must  I'efer  the  reader  to  Captain  Mayne's  work  on  that  coast. 

*  On  a  stream  entering  Cowichnn  Lake,  on  rivers  fallinji  into  Barclay 
Sound  on  tlie  soutiiern  side,  and  on  streams  falliii;^  into  theruntledge  Lake 
near  Comox,  very  good  "colors''  of  gold  were  obtained. 


CuAKACTEli    OF    THE    GoLD-FlKLD. 


81 


ICC 

Ind 
I 
[st. 

Iliiy 


The  gold  on  Vancouver  Island  was  usually  found  in  small 
specks  and  scales  (dust),  but  nuggets  up  to  six  and  a  half 
ounces  have  been  obtained.  The  great  drawback  was  the 
scarcity  of  the  "  pay-dirt,"  that  is  to  say,  that  there  were 
more  rocks  and  boulders  than  earth  impregnated  with  gold 
resting  on  them  ;  sometimes  in  cracks  and  corners,  however, 
of  the  former,  very  nice  little  "  pockets"  or  accumulations  of 
nuggets  were  struck.  I  can  not  leave  this  subject  without 
alluding  to  the  great  assistance  aflbrded  us  in  the  first  dis- 
covery by  Mr.  Foley,  then  a  member  of  the  expedition,  a 
practical  miner  of  considerable  experience,  who  knew  more 
of  gold  and  its  whereabouts  than  any  five  of  the  other  men. 

On  the  Sooke  liiver  deer  were  especially  abundant;  and 
when  once  we  had  arrived  at  the  lake  of  the  same  name, 
one  of  its  sources,  we  lived  for  a  time  in  clover,  catching 
some  salmon-trout  in  its  limpid  waters.  Owing  to  the  dry- 
ness of  the  weather  at  this  period,  our  camp-fires  were  on 
several  occasions  the  means  of  setting  the  forest  on  fire ;  and 
at  the  lake  we  were  burnt  out  of  our  camp,  and  had  to  re- 
treat to  an  island,  from  which  we  could  watch  thecoidlagra- 
tion  in  safety.  Ilere  we  should  have  been  happy,  but  for 
the  musquitoes.  It  has  been  distinctly  stated  that  they  do 
not  exist  on  Vancouver  Island,  but  the  writer  knows,  from 
this  and  subsequent  trips,  that  they  are  abundant  in  tlie  in- 
terior, though  not  perhaps  as  bad  as  those  in  British  Colum- 
bia. We  always  kept  a  pan  of  smouldering  ashes  at  our 
tent  door,  when  camped  for  any  length  of  time  in  one  spot, 
3''et  we  passed  many  a  restless  night  from  their  infiictions. 

From  Sooke  Lake  we  proceeded  by  Shawnigan  Lake  and 
Cowichan  to  Nanaimo,  where  a  delay  occurred,  owing  to  the 
ditficulty  of  obtaining  Indians.  Nanaimo,  seventy  miles 
north  of  Victoria,  is  the  second  town  in  point  of  size  on  the 
ishind  :  in  fact,  the  list  ends  here;  there  is  no  third  as  yet. 
It  owes  its  existence  nxainly  to  the  valuable  coal  deposits 

¥ 


82 


Coal-Seam  at  Comox. 


which  arc  successfully  worked  by  an  English  company,  and 
it  has  had  a  steadier  and  more  healthy  career  than  Victoria. 
p.  lies  in  a  pleasant  bay  sheltered  by  islands,  and  there  is 
depth  of  water  sullicicnt  for  largo  vessels  close  in  shore.  A 
quantity  of  the  coal  is  shipped  to  San  Francisco,  Victoria, 
and  Fi'aser  Kivcr,  while  there  is  an  expectation  that  the 
recent  annexation  of"  Alaska  "  will  create  a  further  demand 
for  steam-ship  purposes.  The  main  deposit  is  situated  at 
about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  town,  and  the  coal  reaches 
the  wharf  by  means  of  a  railway  and  locomotive.  The 
principal  shaft  is  100  feet  in  depth,  and  a  "  drift"  runs  in 
an  inclined  plane  for  1200  feet,  sinking  in  that  distance  170 
feet,  so  that  the  perpendicular  depth  from  which  the  coal  is 
now  taken  is  270  feet.  The  bed  has  niiturally  varied  con- 
siderably in  thickness;  in  1807  it  was  about  five  feet 
through.  One  hundred  and  fifty  to  three  hundred  tons  are 
taken  out  daily ;  the  coal  brings  an  average  of  six  dollars 
a  ton  on  delivery  at  the  ship.  In  San  Francisco  it  is  re- 
tailed at  an  average  price  of  twelve  dollars  (or  about  £2 
10s.  gold  :  there  are  no  "  greenbacks"  accepted  in  California 
except  at  the  regular  discount).  The  Hudson's  Bay  Com- 
pany, which  had  formerly  a  fort  at  Nanaimo,  were  the  first 
to  work  this  seam,  hiring  Indians  to  dig  it  from  the  out- 
crop[)ings,  and  paying  them  at  the  rate  of  one  blanket  for 
eight  barrels.  It  is  an  undoubted  fact  that  the  coal  of  Van- 
couver Island  is  its  most  valuable  production,  and  that  it  is 
abundant.  After  leaving  Nanaimo,  we  discovered  on  a 
stream  entering  the  Puntledge  liiver  near  the  small  settle- 
ment of  Comox,  a  very  important  deposit,  A  seam  from 
two  to  eight  feet  in  thickness,  disappearing  and  again  reap- 
pearing on  the  rocky  walls  of  a  small  canon,  extended  for 
a  mile  of  its  course.  This  occurred  five  miles  from  naviga- 
ble water,  and  would  require  the  construction  of  a  tram-way 
through  the  woods  for  its  successful  development.     We 


1 
r 


o 


E 


a 


r 


Wkeck  of   our   Canoe. 


83 


s 


cam})ed  by  tliu  principiil  scam,  and  made  a  gigantic  fire  ol 
the  coal,  which  really  ap[)oarcd  to  bo  of  excellent  quality. 
The  stream  on  which  we  observed  it  was  named  in  honor 
of  our  leader,  Mr.  Brown. 

Our  journey  from  this  place  up  the  Puntledge  lliver  to 
the  lake  of  the  same  name  was  one  of  dilliculty.  "We  had 
determined  to  take  a  canoe  there,  and  it  had  to  be  carried 
or  towed  nearly  the  whole  distance.  Piles  of  drift-wood 
blocked  the  river,  while  its  bed  consisted  of  boulders  of  all 
sizes.  We  all  spent  more  of  our  time  in  the  water  than  out 
of  it;  and  often,  when  dragging  the  canoe  by  main  i'orcv. 
through  the  shallow  but  swift  current,  got  into  holes  out  of 
our  depth,  and  clung  to  it  with  great  pertiuacity  till  once 
more  we  could  get  a  foothold.  There  were  two  falls  of 
importance  on  this  river,  one  of  them  bearing  the  poetical 
name  of  Sfci-q),  "  the  whirl  of  waters."  At  last  we  reached 
the  lake,  one  of  the  most  picturesque  on  the  island,  and 
our  canoe  was  of  much  service  to  us.  Alas !  it  was  near 
here  that  our  craft,  that  had  gone  through  so  much,  at  length 
came  to  grief.  Descending  a  tributary  of  the  lake  which 
we  had  previously  examined,  owing  to  the  bad  steering  of 
one  of  our  party  it  came  broadside  on  a  log,  and  in  a  second 
was  cracked  up  like  a  nut-shell  into  a  hundred  pieces,  and 
we  were  all  spilt  in  the  swift  current.  We  hung  c  •  to  the 
larger  part  of  the  fragments,  and  succeeded  in  getting  ashore. 
After  several  hours'  patching,  sewing,  and  calking,  w(! 
managed  to  rig  her  up  again,  but  had  subsequently  to  treat 
her  as  a  very  cripple  of  a  canoe,  and  to  get  out  at  all  the 
rapids  and  shallows  and  carry  her  tenderly  over.  With 
great  care  we  at  length  reached  our  camp  by  the  lake,  where 
doubtless  she  still  lies,  the  wreck  we  left  her. 

Between  the  east  coast  at  Comox  and  the  west  coast  at 
Barclay  Sound,  we  found  a  series  of  seven  lakes,  extendinfr 
almost  across  the  island.     One  of  these,  the  Central  Lake, 


84 


"Lo(iaiN(i    Camt." 


is  ahoiio  eighteen  miles  long  by  one  to  one  and  a  lialf  in 
width,  and  our  travelling  was  spasmodic,  constantly  making 
halts  to  construct  rafts.  On  this  rather  tedious  trip  our 
supplies  again  got  down  to  a  very  limited  ration  of  flour, 
and  that  "  strait,"  that  is  to  say,  unaccompanied  by  tea, 
beans,  or  bacon.  Wc  varied  a  diet  of  soggy  bread  with  a 
kind  of  thin  paste  or  soup  of  flour  and  water;  not  veiy 
good  "working"  grub.  It  was  a  sad  but  true  fact  that, 
when  our  connnissariat  department  was  exhausted,  nothing 
was  to  be  obtained  in  the  way  of  game  or  outside  supplies  ; 
and  wc  were  not  sorry  when,  on  tlie  28d  September,  we 
i-eached  a  "  logging  camp  "  near  the  Opichesaht  village  on 
the  Somass  Kiver,  where  the  workmen,  who  had  been  ex- 
pecting us  for  some  time,  spread  a  repast  to  which  we  well 
knew  how  to  do  justice.  The  same  da}'',  descending  the 
river,  we  reached  the  large  saw-mill  and  lumber  establish- 
ment of  Alberni,  Barclay  Sound,  where  Messrs.  Johnston 
and  Rayraur,  the  gentlemen  then  in  charge,  received  us 
with"  great  kindness.  Two  hundred  workmen — represent- 
ing a  dozen  nationalities,  and  including  among  the  number 
Kanakas  from  the  Sandwich  Islands,  and  the  Indians  and 
half-breeds  of  many  tribes—  Vv'io  busily  engaged  in  the 
mill  and  neiirhborhood.  Seve.  vessels  were,  at  the  date  of 
our  visit,  loading  with  lumber  for  England,  California, 
Chili,  China,  and  Australia,  and  the  settlement  presented  a 
lively  aspect. 

Our  subsequent  canoe-trips  down  Barclay  Sound — on 
streams  entering  v/hich  we  again  found  the  "  color "  of 
gold — our  journey  pnce  more  across  the  island  to  Quali- 
cuni,  and  thence  by  canoe  to  Nanaimo,  would,  if  narrated, 
be  little  more  than  a  repetition  of  what  has  been  said  above, 
and  I  will  not  enlarge  upon  them.  Our  party  in  detach- 
ments had  crossed  tiie  island  in  seven  directions. 

]  !i  the  interior  game  is  fairly  abundant,  and  our  list  in- 


I 


Cam  1'  Af  /  uks, 


85 


eluded  three  elk,  twcnty-fivc  deer,  and  two  bcuvcr,  shot 
mainly  at  the  commencement  of  our  journeys.  Owing  tt.> 
the  noise  made  in  travelling  through  the  thickets  and 
woods,  and  the  density  of  the  forest  itself,  wc  saw  but  few 
wild  animals,  and  of  those  generally  only  their  hin(l-(jiiartcrs 
retreating  in  the  distance.  The  animals  above  named,  with 
a  few  bears,  panthers,  martens,  and  coons,  arc  about  all  that 
the  traveller  will  see  at  any  time  on  that  island. 

The  future  explorer  will  have  no  trouble  in  finding  our 
tracks,  for  at  each  camp  the  trees  were  "  blazed,"  /.  t'.,  mark- 
ed with  an  axe,  and  an  inscription  affixed  as  represented 
below — the  artistic  part  of  the  work  being  usually  perform- 
ed by  the  writer — painter,  but  not  glazier,  to  the  expedition. 


iston 
d  us 
sent- 
Aiber 
and 
the 
|te  of 
Irnia, 
ed  a 

-on 
"  of 

nali- 

|ted, 

)ve, 

ich- 

in- 


CAMP  WITH  "BLAZE,"  OR  CAMP-MAKK. 


86 


Alaska   Tkiumtorv 


i' 


CriAPTEU  VL 

ALASKA    TERRITORY. 

Acquisition  of  Russian  America  by  the  United  States. — American  Criticisms 
on  tlio  I'nrchase. —  C-oal  and  Rold  Discoveries.  —  INIock  Adverlise- 
niciits. — America  for  the  Americans. — Gcoj^raphical  Literature  of  tiic 
I'iiciiic— Of  l{iissian  America. — The  Treaty. — W.  U.  Telegraph  Expedi- 
tion.— Its  Organization. — rrefcrence  for  young  Men. 

The  recent  acquisition  of  Russian  America  by  the  Unit- 
ed States  Government  is  one  of  the  events  of  our  day. 
Four  hundred  thousand  square  miles  of  territory  have  been, 
under  the  name  of  "  Alaska,"*  added  to  the  already  vast 
domain  of  Uncle  Sam,  and  Russia  has  rid  herself  of  an 
isohited  possession  of  dubious  value. 

The  purchase  was  not  allows  1  to  be  completed  quietly. 
On  its  announcement  the  people  of  the  United  States  were, 
in  fact,  taken  by  surprise;  there  was  much  hostile  criticism, 
and  strong  political  opposition.  That  has  now,  for  the  most 
part,  passed  away,  and  American  enterprise  has  begun  to 
develop  the  resources  of  the  country. f    For  i^ome  time, 

*  By  this  purchase,  the  U.  S.  Government  has  acquired  also  one  of  the 
largest  mountains  of  the  continent,  Mount  St.  Elias. 

t  Coal  has  been  discovered  at  Cook's  Inlet,  and  a  recent  newspaper  para- 
graph (July  oU,  1868)  tells  us  that  "A  party  of  explorers  started  some  time 
back  fron.  the  c'Mte  of  Oregon  for  the  Skena  Rive,  in  Alaska,  and  were 
subseqi^^itly  report  id  to  have  been  lost  in  a  schooner  in  Queen  Charlotte's 
Sound.  The  American  consul  at  Victoria,  Vancouver  Island,  now  announ- 
ces their  safety,  r  id  u.'ds  that  they  state  themselves  to  have  discovered  a 
rich  gold-field  i\\  the  'r;u[UO  River,  where  they  are  picking  up  the  precious 
metal  in  lumps.  Tins  news  is  credited  in  Sitka,  and  every  available  craft  is 
being  brought  into  requisition  to  convey  adventurers  to  the  spot."  Gold 
has  been  frequency  obtained  in  the  Stekine  River,  a  large  stream  near  the 
bonndary-linc,  running  partly  through  British  and  partly  through  Russian 
Ani.rica. 

Ithua  also  been  recently  stated  that  a  comi)any  was  prcpavnd  to  "take" 


Mock    A  dv  ki^tiskmknts. 


87 


lost 
to 

tne, 
the 


indeed,  Mr.  Seward's  position  in  regard  to  it — lie  being  al- 
ways consid<Tcd  the  originator  of  the  project — was  any 
thing  bnt  a  desirable  one.  It  was  regarded  as  a  bad  bnsi- 
ness,  and  as  an  unfortunate  speculation,  and  was  ridiculed 
as  "  our  new  possession  of  '  Walrus-sia.' "  Alock  advertise- 
ments— pur[)()rting  to  come  from  the  Secretary  ol'  State — 
appeared  in  the  daily  {)apers  of  New  York  and  the  large 
cities  generally,  oft'cring  the  highest  price  for  "  waste  lands 
and  worn-out  colonies,"  "  submergiMl  and  undiscovered  isl- 
ands," icebergs,  polar  bears,  volcanoes,  and  eartlupiakcs, 
"provided  they  should  not  shake  the  confidence  of  the 
State  Department."  In  the  House  of  Congress  it  was 
made  a  })arty  question,  and  theref(jre  the  colony  was  on  the 
one  hand  described  as  the  tag-end  of  creation,  and  on  the 
other  as  an  Elysian  field.  Virtually  there  was,  and  is,  little 
known  about  it;  and  the  following  pages  must  be  regarded 
sim])ly  as  an  early  and  superficial  contribution  to  our  bet- 
ter knowledge  of  it. 

There  are,  however,  many,  both  in  England  and  America, 
who  look  on  this  purchase  as  the  first  move  toward  an 
American  occupation  of  the  whole  continent,  and  who  fore- 
see that  Canada,  and  British  America  generally,  will  sooner 
or  later  become  part  of  the  United  States.  Looking  at  the 
matter  without  prejudice,  I  believe  that  it  will  be  better  for 
those  countries  and  ourselves  when  such  shall  be  the  case. 
We  shall  be  released  from  an  encumbrance,  a  source  of  ex- 
pense and  possible  weakness ;  flie//^  freed  from  the  trammels 
of  periodical  alarms  of  invasion,  and  feeling  the  strength  of 
independence,  will  develop  and  grow;  and — speaking  very 
plainly  and  to  the  point — our  commercial  relations  with 


Alaska,  pay  $10,000,000  in  gokl  to  the  United  States  Government  (nearly 
^8,000,000  over  the  sum  to  he  ))ai<l  to  liussia),  and  leave  tlie  supreme  au- 
thority to  Confzress.  Their  objeet  was  of  course  to  trade  for  furs,  mine,  and 
otherwise  develop  the  country. 


88 


LiTKUATUUK    OF    TIIK     IVVCIFIO. 


tlicm  will  (joublo  ami  (|n;ulru|)lo  tlioniseivrs  in  v.iliic.  No 
oMc  now  supposes  tluit,  had  the  United  Stales  remained 
iianglit  but '' our  American  colonies,"  tiiey  would  liavc  pro- 
grossed  as  they  hare  done  ;  and  it  is  erpially  obvious  iluil 
our  commerce  with  them  must  have  been  restricted  in  c(|u.al 
ratio,  ^riiat  it  is  the  d(\stiny  of  the;  United  States  to  possess 
the  wiiole  northern  continent,  I  fully  believe. 

The  geographical  literature  of  the  Paeilic  is  abundant; 
but  that  })art  of  it  which  has  refennicc  to  Russian  America  is 
comparatively  restricted,  ^fiiller's*  narrative  of  the  voyages 
of  Behring  and  his  companions  deservedly  heads  the  list. 
15ehring  and  Tschirikolf  may  be  fixirly  regarded  as  the  dis- 
coverers of  the  country,  and  their  names  will  ever  be  asso- 
ciated with  the  North  Pacific.  Immediately  following  their 
adventurous  voyages,  a  number  of  liussian  merchants  of 
Eastern  Siberia  sent  vessels  from  OcJioisk  and  neighboring 
ports  on  trading  excursions,  mainly  to  the  Aleutian  Islands. 
"  Within  a  period  of  ten  years,"  says  Coxe,f  their  historian, 
"more  important  discoveries  were  made  by  these  individu- 
als at  their  own  private  cost  than  had  been  hitherto  effected 
by  all  the  expensive  efforts  of  the  crown."  Byron,  Carteret, 
Wallis,  and  Cook  follow  next  in  chronological  order;  the 
latter  especially  helped  to  clear  up  the  fogs  that  encompass- 
ed the  coast.  Cook's  Inlet,  Ounalaska,  Norton  Sound,  and 
Behring  Straits  were  all  examined  by  the  great  circumnav- 


igator. 


Passing  over  the  illustrious  La  Perouse,  wlio  explored 
portions  of  the  N.W.  coast  adjacent  to  Mount  St.  Elias,  and 
several  Spanish  commanders  who  did  next  to  nothing  for 
Russian  America,  we  come  to  our  countryman  Vancouver, 
whose  laborious  surveys  have  left  their  mark  on  the  whole 
of  the  coast  from  San  Francisco  to  Cook's  Inlet,  and  whose 

*  Miillei's  "Voyages  from  Asia  to  America,"  etc. 
t  Coxe's  "Russian  Discoveries." 


KlISSIAN    AND    oTIIKH     Kxi'LOKKUS. 


89 


id 
IV- 

3d 

id 

le 


great  work  (lt>S('rves  a  fuller  recognition  from  the  public  than 
it  luiH  ever  yet  received. 

Uussia  has  naturally  done  much  toward  tlui  exploration 
of  lier  colony,  and  some  of  her  naval  oflieers  hold  a  de- 
servedly high  rank  as  geographers.  Lisiansky,  Kot/ebuc, 
and  Ijiitkc  are  names  as  familiar  to  men  of  science;  as  to 
navigators.  Among  our  own  countrymen,  Moore,  Kdlet, 
Collinson,  !Hid  M'Clure,  when  engaged  in  the  search  fur  Sir 
John  Kranklin,  also  examined  some  portions  of  the  coasts,* 
whili;  (yaptain  IJedford  Pim,  who  madi;  some  extensive 
land-trips,  is  well  remembered  at  some  of  the  (late)  llussian 
posts.  r)Ut  with  the  exception  of  the  one  visit  })aid  by  a 
Russian,  Zagoskin,  until  our  expedition  commenced  its  work, 
the  interior  of  the  country  had  been  little  visited,  except  b}' 
the  traders  of  the  liussian  American  Fur  Company,  and 
much  valuable  information  has  been  hitherto  locked  up  in 
their  archives.  By  the  recent  treaty,  all  the  documents  re- 
lating to  the  territory  were  to  be  handed  over  to  the  United 
States  Government.  Let  us  hope  that  they  may,  in  the  in- 
terests of  geography,  receive  a  thorough  investigation. 

The  treaty  between  Russia  and  the  United  States  estab- 
lishes the  eastern  and  southern  boundarydines  as  arranged 
by  Russia  and  Great  Britain  in  1825.  The  western  line  in- 
cludes the  whole  of  the  Aleutian  Islands ;  Attou  is  distinct- 
ly named  as  the  most  westerly  island  ceded.  The  northern 
boundary  is  only  limited  by  the  ice  and  snow  of  the  Arctic. 

In  1865,  the  Western  Union  Telegraph  Companj^  of 
America,  the  largest  corporation  of  its  kind  in  existence, 
commenced  the  explorations  for  a  proposed  overland  tele- 
graph, which,  by  means  of  a  cable,  via  Behring  Straits,  was 

*  Findlay's  "  Directory  for  the  Navigation  of  the  Pacific  Ocean  "  f^'iyc^,  up 
to  the  date  of  its  publication,  an  exhaustive  resume  of  this  subject.  Although 
a  little  out  of  date,  from  the  rapid  development  of  the  north  west  coasts  of 
America,  it  was  used  constantly  on  our  vessels,  and  looked  upon  as  an  in- 
valuable work  on  the  subject. 


^t     \ 


i 


90 


W.    U.    'J'KIJKiRAl'H     KX  rKDTTION. 


to  unite  tlic  Old  and  New  World.  UMic  jjiojcct — of  itself 
not  entirely  new — was  virtually  started  by  !Mr.  J*,  i).  Collins, 
an  enter])rising  American,  who  had,  after  several  years' 
perseverance,  obtained  the  necessary  charters  and  right  of 
way  from  the  British  and  Kussian  Governments.  The 
scheme,  after  an  expenditure  of  three  million  dollars,  was 
abandoned  in  1807,  owing  to  the  success  of  the  Atlantic  ca- 
ble, and  not  from  any  overwhelming  difliculties  in  the  way 
of  the  undertaking  itself.  There  was,  at  the  date  at  which 
our  explorations  commenced,  no  faith  in  the  great  subma- 
rine cable,  at  least  among  telegraphic  engineers.* 

It  is  needless  to  state  that  an  expedition  employing  sev- 
eral hundred  explorers,  who  examined  six  thousand  miles 
of  country  on  both  sides  of  the  Pacific — from  Fraser  liiver 
to  Behring  Straits,  and  thence  southward  to  the  Amoor — has 
added  something  to  our  knowledge  of  those  countries.  In 
point  of  fact,  five  volumes  like  the  present  would  hardly 
give  a  fair  idea  of  the  amount  of  travel  undertaken.  Ivluch 
of  the  information  acquired  is  in  the  hands  of  the  telegraph 
company,  and  much  more  in  the  possession  of  individuals, 
and  is  virtually  lost  to  the  world.  I  have  confined  myself 
almost  exclusively  to  the  narration  of  my  own  experiences, 
ranging  over  nearly  two  and  a  half  years. 

Colonel  Bulkley,  engineer-in-chief  of  the  projected  line, 
in  the  spring  of  the  above-mentioned  year  left  San  Francisco 
(where  the  head-quarters  of  the  expedition  were  established), 
and  paid  a  preliminary  visit  to  Sitka.  lie  there  left  Dr. 
Fisher,  the  surgeon-in-chief,  to  collect  information  while  he 

*  It  is  by  no  means  improbable  that  this  enterprise  niav  he  again  revived 
if  the  Athantic  cable  or  cables  should  "give  out"  or  work  with  uncertainty, 
although  it  would  be  an  expensive  line  to  construct  and  to  keep  in  good  or- 
der. That  the  scheme  is  practicable  there  can  be  no  doubt.  I'ortions  of  th(! 
line  which  irere  completed  between  New  "Westminster  and  tlu>  mouth  of 
Quesnelle — both  on  Fraser  River — are  now  used  for  the  transmission  of  mes- 
sages.    See  Appendix  (II.)- 


Organization'  of  thk  Kxi'kditiox. 


91 


il 


1), 

lie 


himself  rcturiu'd  to  California  to  organi/e  the  expedition. 
1  first  had  the  })i».'ariure  of  meeting  Colonel  liulkley  in  Vie- 
loria,  V.  I.,  and  ininunliately  volunteered  to  serve  on  the 
expedition.  He  expressed  himself  gratilied  at  th"  ideii'of 
ail  artist'  accompanying  him,  and  wo  commeneed  a  friend- 
ship  that  has  but  increased  witli  better  ac(piaintance.  Col- 
onel Bulkley  inspired  ail'ection  and  esteem  in  all  who  knew 
him. 

Our  expedition  had  a  military  organization,  and  to  each 
man  was  assigned  a  special  duty.  The  princi])al  officers 
for  the  first  season  (1805)  were  as  follow : 

Col.IJiilkley,  Eiigiiieor-in-C'hicf(on  leave  of  absence  TI.  S.  UegularAriiiy). 

Ciipt.  Scaininoii,  (.Miief  of  Marine  (U.  S.  lieveuue  Service). 

Major  Wri;ilit,  Adjutant. 

Major  Cliappel,  Chief  (Quartermaster. 

Mr.  Lewis,  Assistant  Kuj^jineer. 

Dr.  Fisher,  Surgeon-in-Ciiiff. 

Major  Kciinicott  (in  charjic  of  Yukon  party). 

Lieut.  M'Crea  (in  eiiargo  of  Anadyr  jjarty). 

Major  Abasa  (in  ciiarge  of  Sil)erian  party). 

Major  Pope  (in  charge  of  British  Columbian  party). 

Capt.  Conway  (in  charge  of  building  jiarty). 

E.  K.  Laboriu',  Interpreter. 

ITredcrick  Whynii)er,  Artist. 

It  would  occupy  an  unnecessary  amount  of  space  to  give 
the  details  and  numbers  of  each  party,  more  especially  as 
reference  will  be  made  to  them  subsequently ;  but  I  may 
add  that  several  collectors  foi*  the  Smithsonian  Institution 
at  Washington  accompanied  us,  among  the  principal  of 
whom  were  Messrs.  Dall,  Rothrock,  Bannister,  and  Elliot. 
Major  Kennicott,  besides  being  selected  on  account  of  his 
previously  acquired  knowledge  of  the  country,  was  the  ap- 
pointed director  of  the  scientific  corps. 

The  men  selected  by  Colonel  Bulkley  were  nearly  all 
young,  and  hardly  one  beyond  the  prime  of  life.  He  more 
than  once  said  that  no  old  man  (or  old  woman  either) 
should  serve  on  his  expedition,  and  he  could  have  hardly 


^, 


.0..  V^  V, 


imaoe  evaluation 
test  target  (mt-3) 


1.0 


1.1 


f 


11.25 


|J0    ^^ 


2.5 
2.2 


2.0 

U   IJ4 


Photographic 

Sciences 
Corporation 


23  WfST  MAIN  SliiEET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14SM 

(716)873-4503 


^ 


f 

**,^i 


\ 


92 


Preference  for  Youth. 


found  a  better  place  than  San  Francisco  for  the  selection 
of  active  and  "live"  men.  There,  nearly  every  one  has 
been  more  or  less  a  traveller,  and  knows  something  of  the 
many  acquirements  valuable  in  a  new  country. 

Doubtless  Colonel  Bulkley's  preference  for  youth,  activ- 
ity, and  "go"  is  that  of  Americans  generally.  Here,  in 
England,  I  have  sometimes  thought  that  youth  was  consid- 
ered more  of  a  crime  than  a  recommendation,  and  that  you 
were  nowhere  until  you  had — like  old  port — acquired 
"body"  and  "age I" 


a 


Sli 


^^'ill 


Ouii  Voyage. 


08 


CHAPTER  VII. 


A  VISIT  TO  THE  CAPITAL  OF  ALASKA. 

Tlie  Voyage. — Sitka  Sound  and  Harbor. — BaranoflF. — Early  History. — The 
Town. — Water  Supply. — Agriculture. — Former  Russian  Settlements  in 
California. — Russian  American  Company. — The  Fisheries. — Kalosh  In- 
dians.— Our  Experiences  of  Russian  Hospitality. — Sitka  in  new  Hands. 
— Two  Sundavs  in  a  Week. — Kodiak  Ice. — Formal  Transfer  of  Alaska. 

On  the  SOtli  of  July,  1865,  I  bade  a  final  adieu  to 
Victoria,  joined  the  W.  U.  Telegraph  Company's  steamer 
"Wright,"  and  the  following  day  we  were  en  route  for  Sit- 
ka, the  then  capital  of  Russian  America. 

Our  voyage,  made  in  calm  summer  weather,  was  not 
specially  eventful.  Early  in  our  trip  we  were  unfortunate 
enough  to  lose  one  of  the  fans  of  our  screw,  which  of  course 
somewhat  diminished  the  speed  of  our  vessel.  At  Port 
M'Neil,  near  Fort  Rupert,  V.  I.,  we  stopped  to  take  on 
board  a  small  quantity  of  native  coal  to  test  its  value  for 
steaming  purposes. 

After  threading  Johnstone  Straits,  we  passed  to  the  north 
of  Vancouver  Island,  and  outside  Queen  Charlotte's  Isl- 
and. I  mention  this  fact  because  there  is  well  known  to 
be  an  "inside  passage"  threading  the  archipelago  of  isl- 
ands north  of  Vancouver  Island.  In  winter  it  may  pos- 
sibly be  the  better  rcuie,  but  it  is  of  a  difficult  and  tortuous 
nature. 

On  the  8th  of  August  we  reached  the  intricate  and  rock- 
girt  shores  of  Sitka  Sound,  and  soon  came  to  an  anchor  im- 
mediately abreast  of  the  town  of  Sitka.  The  harbor,  though 
small,  is  commodious,  and  the  water  is  usually  as  smooth 


i  M 


Mi 


' 


['« 


If: 


;  in 


I 


1)4 


Sitka. 


Ml 


Jis  a  niill-pontl.  It  is  in  hit.  57°  2'  45"  N.,  long.  135°  17' 
lU"  W. 

Sitka,  or  New  Arcliangc],  is  as  yet  the  only  "city"  in 
tbo  couiitiy,aii(l  therefore  deserves  some  little  notice.  For- 
merly it  was  exclusively  the  head-quarters  of  the  Hussian 
American  Fur  Compaii}',  but  has  now  become  a  town  (jf 
somcjife,  and  will  })robably  much  increase  in  size. 

Tiie  island  on  which  Sitka  is  built  is  one  of  a  group  or 
archi])elngo,  discovered  in  1741  by  Tschirikoff,  the  compan- 
ion of  Hehring,  who,  unlike  that  brave  commander,  lived 
to  return  from  his  adventurous  voyage,  the  third  and  last 
of  an  important  series.  The  island  is  named  in  honor  of 
Baranoff,  the  real  founder  of  the  settlement  of  New  Arch- 
angel, who  for  a  long  period  managed  the  allairs  of  the 
liussian  American  Company  in  the  days  of  its  early  history 
— a  troubled  and  eventful  time.  Baranoff  had  been  a  mer- 
chant in  Siberia,  and  was  a  man  of  education  and  superior 
attainments,  with  a  large  amount  of  courage  and  persever- 
ance. After  the  establishment  of  this  post,  the  Kalosh  In- 
dians, a  neighboring  tribe,  gave  the  Russians  much  trouble; 
and  in  1804,  while  the  commander  was  absent,  they  attack- 
ed and  murdered  the  larger  part  of  the  garrison,  one  or 
two  Aleuts  alone  escaping  to  the  Island  of  Kodiak.  Bar- 
anoff returned  shortly  afterward,  and  with  the  assistance  ol' 
a  part  of  Admiral  Krusenstern's  ileet,  then  on  a  voyage  in 
the  North  Pacific,  attacked  and  besieged  the  Kaloshes  till 
they  acknowledged  themselves  beaten  ;  not,  however,  un- 
til they  had  murdered  all  the  old  and  helpless  of  their 
number  who  could  not  go  off  with  them.  They  have 
threatened  and  attacked  the  town  subsequently,  and  the 
liussians  feared  them  a  good  deal.  At  the  date  of  our  visit, 
a  palisade  or  stockade  divided  the  Russian  and  Indian  hab- 
itations, and  no  native,  unless  working  in  some  private 
house,  was  allowed  in  the  town  after  dark. 


M 

H 
> 
O 

z 

m 

> 

3D 

o 

X 

> 
z 
o 

m 

r- 

o 

> 

H 

> 
r 


> 
en 


.ilUK- 


or 


MlT- 
2  Ol' 

c  ill 

till 

im- 

'leir 

jave 

the 

lisit, 

lab- 

'ate 


iy ;,:':''''  :^'fiii; 


%u% 


III''.    :      rf.' ,,  ,,iii''.i 


'tu'':.'w:'n:^% 


i 


Its  Situation. 


97 


m 


Sitka  was  not  overlooked  during  our  war  with  Russia, 
and  after  ibc  second  visit  to  Petropaulovski,  recorded  later 
in  these  pages,  the  English  and  French  admirals,  with  a 
portion  of  tiie  combined  fleet,  visited  the  coast.  No  vessel, 
however,  of  the  squadron  entered  the  port  except  her  maj- 
esty's steamer  "Brisk,"  and  the  object  of  their  visit  was 
merely  to  ascertain  whether  any  naval  force  belonging  to 
the  Czar  was  to  be  found  there.  A  compact  had  been  en- ' 
tared  into  by  the  British  and  Russian  Governments  that  the 
property  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  and  of  the  Russian 
American  Company  should  be  respected.  The  I'ight  of 
blockade  was,  however,  reserved,  although  not  exercised  in 
this  case.  The  admirals,  satisfied  that  n©  government  ves- 
sels or  supplies  were  there,  left  Sitka  undisturbed.  No 
special  defenses  had  been  prepared.* 

The  town  is  situated  on  a  low  strip  of  land,  the  gov- 
ernor's house  rising  on  a  rocky  height  a  hundred  feet  or  so 
above  the  general  level.  Snow-capped  and  peaked  mount- 
ains, and  thickly-wooded  hills  surround  it,  and  Mount  Edg- 
cumbe,  on  Crooze  Island,  immediately  opposite  the  town, 
an  extinct  volcano  of  eight  thousand  feet  in  height,  is  the 
great  land-mark  of  this  port — the  most  northern  harbor  on 
the  Pacific  shores  of  America.  The  coloring  of  the  town 
is  gay,  and  the  surroundings  picturesque.  The  houses  yel- 
low, with  sheet-iron  roofs  painted  red,  the  bright  green 
spire  and  dome  of  the  Greek  Church,  and  the  old  battered 
hulks,  roofed  in  and  used  as  magazines,  lying  propped  up 
on  the  rocks  at  the  water's  edge,  with  the  antiquated  build- 
ings of  the  Russian  Fur  Company,  gave  Sitka  an  original, 
foreign,  and  fossilized  kind  of  appearance. 

Landing  at  the  wharf,  and  passing  a  battery  of  ancient 
and  dilapidated  guns,  we  first  saw  the   stores  and  ware- 
houses of  the  company,  where  furs  of  the  value  of  £200,000 
♦  See  "Nautical  Magazine," October,  1855. 

G 


iM 


^u 


\i' 


nr4 


08 


rr 


T II  E    T  O  W  N  -r  Cl.  I  M  A  T  E . 


1^: 

P 


were  sometimes  accumulated.  Sitka  in  itself  had  but  a 
moderate  Indian  trade,  but  was  the  head-quarters  of  the 
company,  whence  the  peltries  of  twenty-one  different  sta- 
tions were  annually  brought.  After  passing  the  governor's 
house,  which  is  perched  on  a  roc.K,  and  only  reached  by  a 
steep  flight  of  stairs,  we  found  the  bureau  and  work-shops 
of  the  company,  and  a  number  of  the  better  class  of  houses 
of  employes.  On  the  left  of  the  street,  a  shrubbery,  the 
"Club  Gardens,"  with  summer-houses,  card  and  supper 
rooms,  and  swings  for  the  children,  and  a  little  farther  the 
Greek  Church,  with  its  dome  and  spire  of  Oriental  style, 
overshadowing  a  plainer  Lutheran  structure  within  a  few 
steps  of  it,  attracted  our  attention.  Then  came  the  "Club- 
house," occupied  by  unmarried  servants  of  the  company — 
the  school-house,  from  which  scholars  of  promise  were  sent 
to  St.  Petersburg — and  the  hosj)''tal,  a  very  neo.t  and  clean 
building.  Bev,..jd  these  were  a  few  dozen  cottages  and 
shanties,  and  i\  n — the  woods!  with  the  one  promenade 
of  the  place  running  through  them. 

Sitka  enjoys  the  unenviable  position  of  being  about  the 
most  rainy  place  in  the  world.  Eain  ceases  only  when 
there  is  a  good  prospect  of  snow.  Warm  sunny  weather  is 
invariably  accompanied  by  the  prevalence  of  fever  and  pul- 
monary complaints^  and  rheumatism  is  looked  upon  as  an 
inevitable  concomitant  to  a  residence  in  the  settlement. 
Doubtless  the  miasma  arising  from  dafnp  and  decaying 
vegetable  matter  is  one  reason  why  Sitka  k  more  unhealthy 
in  fine  weather  than  in  wet:  a  fact  which  was  constantly 
stated  to  us  by  the  inhabitants.  The  winter  is  by  no  means 
.severe :  the  thermometer  rarely  standing  below  20°  Fahr. 

A  vast  deal  of  nonsense  has  been  published  and  repub- 
lished in  the  newspapers  of  the  United  States  relative  to 
the  agricultural  resources  of  their  new  acquisition.  The 
reader  may  take  my  word  for  it  that  the  culture  of  a  few 


The  Fisheries. 


9I» 


potatoes  and  other  vegetables  is  all  that  has  been  done  in 
this  way,  and  that  the  acres  of  barley  mentioned  in  some 
of  these  high-flown  paragraphs  are  purely  mythical.  There 
is  not  an  acre  of  grain  in  the  whole  country. 

For  a  long  period,  from  1812  to  1841,  the  Russian  Com- 
pany had  settlements  in  California,  at  lioss  and  Bodega, 
and  they  have  left  their  name  attached  to  the  principal 
.stream  in  that  part  of  the  country — Russian  River.  In 
1841  Captain  Sutter,  a  well-known  Californian  of  the  early 
days,  purchased  the  company's  settlements,  stock,  etc.,  for 
$30,000.  These  establishments  were  kept  up  expressly 
for  the  supply  of  Sitka  and  the  other  posts,  and  were  given 
up  when  they  found  it  more  convenient  to  purchase  from 
the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  on  Vancouver  Island.  For  a 
full  account  of  this  the  reader  is  referred  to  the  fifth  vol- 
ume of  Wilkes's  "Narrative  of  the  U.  S.  Exploring  Expe- 
dition." 

The  white  and  half-breed  population  of  Sitka  was  about 
eight  hundred,  but  has  risen  since  the  American  occupation 
to  about  two  thousand  persons.  A  company  of  Russiaii 
intantry  formed  the  garrison,  and  the  soldiers  were  allowed 
to  work  for  the  company,  receiving  extra  pay. 

The  Russian  American  Company,  formed  on  the  model 
of  our  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  commenced  its  existence 
as  a  chartered  corporation  in  1799,  but  had  existed  as  a 
body  of  traders  and  merchants  long  before  that  date.  Be- 
tween the  two  fur  companies  there  have  been  disputes. 
Latterly  the  coast  as  far  as  the  Chilcat  River  had  been 
leased  by  the  former  to  the  latter  company  for  trading 
purposes.  The  most  valuable  station  of  the  Russians, 
without  exception,  was  the  Island  of  St.  Paul  (Pribylov 
Group,  in  Behring  Sea),  which  yielded  the  larger  part  of 
the  sea-otter  obtained  by  them. 

In  the  neighborhood  of  Sitka  extensive  fisheries  exist- 


1 


:ll 


M    ll 


100 


TiiK  K.MiOsir  Indians. 


^'f 


I: 


t'd,  and  from  100,000  to  150,000  siilinon  wore  annu.illy 
exported  to  the  Sandwicli  Lshinds  and  clsciwliere.  Innnc- 
iliati'ly  on  tlio  arrival  of  a  boat-load  of  lisli  at  tlic  wharf,  a 
number  of  the  poorer  women,  som(^  of  them  Iiulians,  ar- 
ranged themselves  in  two  long  lines,  and  very  rapidly 
(jleaned  and  gutted  the  salnu)n.  A  lew  buckets  of  water 
were  then  thrown  over  the  heap,  and  they  were  carried  to 
the  vats,  and  put  in  brino  at  once.  Kach  woman  took  as 
her  share  a  large  fish  weighing  20  or  30  lbs.,  and  worth — 
just  nothing!  It  is  said  that  the  salmon  is  so  abundant 
in  the  streams  in  the  spring-time  that  they  impede  the  pas- 
sago  of  boats,  and  that  when  a  strong  south-east  wind 
comes,  it  drives  them  ashore,  where  they  lie  in  piles  putre- 
fying- 

The  Kalosh  Indians  seen  at  Sitka  inhabit  the  coast  be- 
tween the  Stekine  and  Chilcat  rivers.  At  the  date  of  our 
visit  large  numbers  were  absent,  but  in  winter  they  are 
said  to  congregate  to  the  number  of  2500.  The  Chilcat 
Indians  also  come  to  Sitka. 

These  people  dwell  in  a  long  line  of  rude  houses  out* 
si(le  the  settlement.  Their  dwellings  are  shanties  on  a 
large  scale,  with  a  small  entrance,  often  circular  in  shape, 
and  a  hole  in  the  roof  to  let  the  smoke  out.  The  idea  of 
these  constructions  must  have  been  derived  from  the  Rus 
sians;  in  some  cases  the  very  unusual  circumstance  of  the 
sleeping-rooms  being  apart  from  the  main  chamber  was  to 
be  observed. 

The  Kalosbes  are  by  no  means  a  prepossessing  people, 
and  have  a  bad  reputation.  Their  dress  is  commonly  a 
blanket,  at  least  in  summer-time,  they  frequently  black 
their  faces  all  over,  and  sometimes  paint  themselves  in  red, 
black,  and  blue  stripes  and  patches.  They  wear  a  pin  of 
bone  or  metal  stuck  in  their  lower  lip ;  this  is  said  to  de- 
note maturity;   it  is  at  least  never  worn  by  the  young. 


The   Kai.()81i  Indians. 


101 


Tlicy  appear  to  be  inori;  than  usually  lazy  nativos,  prr)l)a- 
bly  IVoin  the  Tact  that  Nature  has  been  so  kind  to  thciu ; 
salmon  is  abundant,  tleer  and  bear  meat  arc  to  bo  had  I'or 
the  hunting,  and  the  berries  are  innumerable.  Their  ea- 
noesare  mueh  inferior  to  those  of  the  lower  coast,  while  their 
skin  "  baidarkes  "  (kyaeks)  are  not  e([ual  to  those  of  Nor- 
ton Sound  and  the  northern  coast.  Their  grave-boxes  or 
tombs  are  interesting;  they  contain  only  the  ashes  of  the 
dead.  These  people  invariably  burn  the  deceased.  On  one 
of  the  boxes  I  saw  a  number  of  faces  painted,  long  tresses 
of  human  hair  depending  therefrom.  Each  head  represent- 
ed a  victim  of  the  (happily)  deceased  one's  ferocity.  In 
his  day  he  was  doubtless  more  esteemed  than  if  he  had 
never  harmed  a  fly.  All  their  graves  arc  much  ornameut- 
cd  with  carved  and  painted  nices  and  other  devices. 


■  ! 


i    il 


KALOSU   INDIAN   GHAVE-BOX. 


We  shall  not  readily  forget  the  reception  given  us  by 
the  residents  of  Sitka,  who  seemed  bent  on  making  up  for 
the  absence  of  the  governor.  Prince  MaksutoiF.  Russian 
hospitality  is  proverbial,  and  we  all  somewhat  suffered 


102 


K  I'SS  lAli     II  OS  1'  1  T  A  L  IT  Y. 


therefrom.  The  first  j)hrasc  of  tlieir  langnngo  acquired  by 
us,  was  "Petiiatchit  eoplu "  (lU'teeu  drops).  Now  tliis 
(juantity — in  words  so  modest — usually  meant  a  good  half- 
tumbler  of  some  unmitigated  spirit,  ranging  from  Cognac 


KALOSU    INDIAN   UUAVE-UUX. 


lJ»' 


to  raw  vodka,  of  a  class  which  can  only  be  described  by  a 
Californian  term  as  "chain  lightning,"  and  which  was 
pressed  upon  us  on  every  available  occasion.  To  refuse 
was  simply  to  insult  your  host.  Then  memory  refuses  to 
retain  the  number  of  times  we  had  to  drink  tea,  which  was 
served  sometimes  in  tumblers,  sometimes  in  cups.  I  need 
not  say  the  oft-described  samovar  was  in  every  household. 
Several  entertainments — balls,  suppers,  and  a  fete  in  the 
club  gardens — were  organized  for  our  benefit,  and  a  num- 
ber of  visitors  came  off  daily  to  our  fleet  of  four  vessels — 
strangely  enough,  the  only  ones  in  harbor,  though  the 
company  owned  many  sailing-vessels  and  steamers.  We 
found  the  Russians  there  living  on  terms  of  great  intimacy 
with  their  domestics.  The  latter  almost  invariably  ad- 
dressed their  masters  and  mistresses  by  their  Christian 
names,  and  often  by  abbreviations  thereof.  Thus  a  gen- 
tleman by  name  "  Ivan  "  (John)  would  be  so  called  by  his 


Sitka   ix  Nkw   Hands. 


io:j 


servants,  and  his  wife,  whose  ncimc  yfiu  ^fa^ia,  but  by  her 
husbaiul  known  as  Molly,  would  bo  so  addressed  by  tho 
servants,  to  the  great  seandal  of  propriety. 

But  Sitka  in  llie  hands  of  tiie  Russian  rorn}>nny,  and 
Sitka  in  those  of  its  new  owners,  are  already  very  dilVerent 
tilings.  An  Anglo-Kiissian  newspaper,  to  bo  printed  in 
double  columns,  is  projected,  and  is  to  appear  this  sj)ring 
(1808).  Town  "lots  "are  held  at  fabulous  j)rices ;  for  a 
small  log-housc  $10,000  (X2000)  is  asked,  and  1  should 
not  bo  surprised  to  learn  that  salmon  was  half  a  dollar  a 
pound,  that  a  dozen  "  saloons,"  hotels,  barbens'  shojis,  and 
"lager  bier"  cellars  had  been  started,  or  cspocially  that 
the  Sitka  water-works  were  a  great  success  I  Every  "  cor- 
respondent's "  letter  from  thence,  and  I  have  read  a  score, 
agrees  in  one  fact,  "  that  our  aqueous  sui)])ly  evinces  no 
sign  of  failure !" 

In  the  "good  old  Russian  times"  there  were,  it  is  said, 
about  180  church  holidays  to  the  year,  now  they  will  be 
confined  to  Christmas  and  New  Year's  days,  Wa.shington'8 
birthday  and  the  4th  of  July  (Independence  Day).  But  if 
the  enlightened  citizens  of  the  country  choose  to  avail 
themselves  of  the  privilege,  they  can  enjoy  two  Sundays 
each  week.  Owing  to  the  fact  that  the  Rus^iians  came 
eastward  and  we  came  westward,  there  is  of  course  a  day's 
difference  where  the  two  meet,  and  their  Sunday  in  Sitk.'i 
falls  on  our  Saturday.  "  The  San  Franciscan,"  says  a  Cal- 
ifornian  newspaper,  "  who  arrives  at  Archangel  on  Friday 
night,  according  to  his  reckoning,  will  find  the  stores  closed 
and  business  suspended  on  the  following  morning,  and  so 
will  lose  not  only  that  day,  but  the  next,  too,  if  his  consci- 
entious convictions  and  the  force  of  habit  are  only  strong 
enough.  On  the  other  hand,  the  pious  Alaskan  merchant, 
who  belongs  to  the  Greek  Chnroh.  will  look  with  horror 
on  the  impious  stranger  who  offers  to  trade  or  swap  jack- 


m 


u 


I.  Ill 


n 


hi 


P 


104 


KoDiAK   Ice. 


knives  on  Sunday,  but  who  on  Monday  morning  suddenly 
assumes  a  clean  shirt,  black  broadcloth,  a  nasal  twang,  and 
that  demurely  self-satisfied  air  which  is  our  national  idea 
of  a  religious  demeanor." 

As  before  stated,  Sitka  itself  yielded  buf.  a  limited 
quantity  of  furs  ;  hence  the  mistake  made  ^ast  year  (1867) 
by  numerous  Jews  and  other  traders,  who  thought  they 
could  buy  to  advantage  there.  By  latest  accounts,  you 
could  almost  as  cheaply  obtain  furs  in  San  Francisco !  not 
one  of  the  places  in  the  world  most  celebrated  for  moderate 
charges,  and  in  consequence  the  steamers  were  well  filled 
by  d'sgusted  Israelitish  traders  on  their  return  trips  to  Cal- 
ifornia. Yet  in  the  north  of  Eussian  America — a  country 
that  few  perhaps  will  venture  into — there  is  undoubtedly 
a  large  trade  yet  to  be  developed,  and  the  energy  of  the 
American  people  will  hardly  let  the  opportunity  pass  un- 
improved, if  the  difficulties  in  the  way  of  the  transpor- 
taiion  of  large  quantities  of  trading-goods  and  provisions 
do  not  prove  of  too  serious  a  nature.  I  shall  have  to  al- 
lude to  this  subject  again  in  the  chapters  on  the  Yukon 
Biver. 

A  San  Francisco  company  leased  from  the  Eussians  the 
privilege  of  obtaining  ice  from  St.  Paul's,  Kodiak  Island. 
The  Americans,  as  it  is  unnecessary  perhaps  to  remark, 
use  :V.c  ai  table  to  a  far  greater  extent  than  we  dc,  and  in 
the  iVtlantic  States  it  is  sold  at  an  almost  nominal  price. 
Oaliforrif),  about  the  warmest  state  in  the  Union,  naturally 
•onsum.  J  ,  I'irge  quantity  of  ice.  It  is  cut  from  an  artifi- 
v'la]  ',^KQ,  which  has  an  area  of  forty  acres.  The  laborers 
are  A\  Aleuts  (Aleutian  islanders),  and  are  principally  en- 
gaged for  three  or  four  months  of  winter,  while  the  ice  is 
firm,  in  cutting  it  up  and  storing  it  for  summer  consump- 
tion. The  larger  part  of  this  luxury  is  consumed  in  San 
Francisco,  but  it  finds  its  way  to  Mexican,  Central,  and  even 


r 


A  Russian  Soldier. 


105 


South  Americar.  ports.  Kodiak,*  which  is  included  in  the 
purchase,  is  therefore  by  no  means  an  unimj  -rtant  ac- 
quisition. 

The  formal  transfer  of  Russian  America  to  the  United 


iSpor- 


,ns  the 
[sland. 
^mark, 
md  in 
I  price, 
brally 
lartifi- 

)orers 
jy  en- 
lice  is 

jump- 
San 

leven 


INDIAN  STONE  CARVINe,  KEPRESENTING  A  RUSSIAN  SOLDIER  AT  SITKA. 

States  authorities  took  place  on  October  18,  1867.  It  is 
said  that  the  Russian  flag  showed  great  reluctance  to  come 
down,  and  stuck  on  the  vard-arm  of  the  flao^-staff.     A  man 

*  On  September  oth,  18G6,  at  4  a.m.,  there  was  a  very  violent  earth- 
quake on  Kotliak  Ishind.  A  correspondent  of  The  Aha  Ca/i/ornian  writing 
thence,  said  :  "  Ti)e  sensation  on  shipboard  was  very  terrifying,  seeming 
as  though  the  ship  was  going  at  railway  speed  over  the  rocks,  while  many 
articles  came  tumbling'  down  which  the  most  violent  gale  at  sea  had  not  dis- 
turbed, Other  plight  shocks  were  felt  at  intervals  for  four  hours  in  some 
of  the  southern  portions  of  the  island.  Hugo  rocks  were  torn  from  their 
places,  and  came  tumbling    ■  wn  the  mountains,  but  no  lives  were  lost." 


:i 


ii-^ 


,i 


106 


An   Accurate  Likeness. 


was  sent  up  to  detach  the  halyards,  when  it  fell  on  the 
heads  of  the  Kussian  soldiers,  its  appointed  defenders ! 

On  the  preceding  page  is  a  representation  of  one  of  the 
Sitka  "  army/'  copied  from  an  Indian  stone  carving  in  my 
possession.  Although  it  may  seem  a  caricature,  it  is  reall  v 
an  accurate  likeness  of  the  stolid  features  and  antiquated 
cut  of  the  late  defenders  of  Russian  America.* 

*  For  some  udditioiial  notes  on  biika,  sec  Aj)pen(lix  (III.)- 


Departure   from  Sitka. 


107 


M 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

* 

VOYAGE    4N    THE    NORTH    PACIFIC. 

18(55. 

Departure  from  Sitka. — Oukamok. — Ounga. — Breakers  ahead! — Volca- 
noes in  Ounimak  Pass. — St.  Michael's,  Norton  Sound,  Alaska. — Sound- 
ings of  Behring  Sea. — Plover  Bay,  Eastern  Siberia. — TheTchuktchis.— 
Tents. — Canoes. —  Tchuktchi  Strengtii. —  Ciiiklren. — The  irre[)ressible 
"Naukum." — Native's  Idea  of  the  Telegraph. — The  "Shenandoah" 
Pirate. — Avatcha  Bay. 

During  our  stay  at  Sitka,  Colonel  Bulkley,  besides  col- 
lecting much  valuable  information  from  the  Kussian  Com- 
pany, was  engaged  in  organizing  the  parties  for  the  Anadyr 
and  Yukon  rivers.  Lieut.  M'Crea,  in  charge  of  the  former 
division,  was  with  his  party  transferred  to  the  schooner 
*'  Milton  Badger,"  and  dispatched  to  his  destination.  The 
Yukon  party  were  mostly  on  board  the  bark  "  Golden 
Gate,"  then  considered  the  "  flag-ship  "  of  our  expedition, 
and  to  this  vessel  I  was  myself  transferred.  1  was  the 
guest»of  Captain  Scammon,  to  whose  kindness  I  owe  much. 

We  left  the  harbor  of  Sitka  on  the  22d  August,  and  the 
entire  population  turned  out  to  see  us  depart.  They  gave 
us  a  full  though  rather  irregular  salute,  which  nearly 
brought  down  the  old  wharf,  and  we  returned  it  in  better 
style.  For  several  days  after  leaving  we  kept  company 
with  the  steamer,  being  in  fact  towed  by  her.  On  the  28th 
we  again  saw  land,  the  grassy  slopes  and  abrupt  cliffs  of 
Oukamok  Island.  There  were  no  trees  npparent.  On  the 
29th  we  sighted  the  Peninsula  of  Aliaska,  a  jagged  rock- 
bound  coast  with  many  snow  peaks,  and  the  next  day  we 


!}■: 


■  H 


!n^ 


.  in 


li 


\i 


108 


Break EKS  Ahead! 


got  a  glimpse  of  Cape  Ivanoll' — a  promontory  that  appear- 
ed at  a  disuince  to  be  detached  from  the  main-huid.  Later 
in  the  day  we  came  to  an  anchor  in  Zakharovskaia  Bay, 
in  the  Island  of  Ounga.  Our  object  in  calling  there  was  to 
examine  some  coal  seams  known  to  exist  on  the  coast. 
They  proved  to  be  lignite  of  poor  quality,  and  apparently 
not  abundant.  The  seams  have  been  worked,  and  the  prod- 
ucts used  on  board  the  Kussian  American  Fur  Company's, 
steamers,  but  not  to  any  great  extent.  On  the  31st  Au- 
gust we  again  started  in  company  with  the  steamer,  but 
the  following  night  our  hawser  broke,  and  we  parted  com- 
pany in  a  fog.  The  next  morning,  while  I  was  quietly 
drawing  in  the  cabin,  the  steward's  boy,  a  wild  Irish 
juvenile,  known  as  "  Brick-top,"  from  the  red  color  of  his 
moppy  head,  rushed  in  with  the  pleasing  announcemont  of 
"  breakers  ahead  !"  and  that  we  were  all  coming  to  grief. 
I  went  on  deck,  and  found  some  very  ugly  looking  rocks 
on  the  starboard  side  within  a  few  hundred  yards,  and  the 
white  surf  and  foam  breaking  round  them.  The  weather 
was  extremely  foggy  and  thick,  and  the  danger  while  it 
lasted  was  unmistakable.  Captain  Scammon,  seconded  by 
his  officers,  soon,  however,  brought  the  vessel  round,  and 
we  passed  within  a  hundred  yards  of  them,  our  craft  rolling 
and  pitching  a  good  deal.  It  proved  to  be  a  reef  outside 
Sanak  or  Halibut  Island — a  known,  yet  dangerous  coast. 

On  the  3d  September,  when  tacking  and  trying  to  make 
Ounimak  Pass  or  Passage,  between  Ounimak  and  Ougamok, 
two  of  the  Aleutian  Islands,  we  caught  a  glimpse  through 
the  opening  mists  of  the  volcano  of  Chichaldinskoi.  This 
mountain  is,  on  the  authority  of  Liitke,  8935  feet  in  height, 
and  is  situated  on  Ounimak  Island.  It  has  a  very  grace- 
ful form.  Near  it  is  a  second  mountain  of  less  elevation, 
with  a  jagged  double  summit,  of  very  odd  and  irregular 
appearance.     On  the  evening  of  the  4th  Chichaldinskoi 


Norton  Sound. 


109 


h 


i: 


)utside 

3ast. 

make 

amok, 

rough 

This 
eight, 

^race- 
lation, 
Igular 
Inskoi 


loomed  out  very  distinctly,  and  when  the  clouds  cleared 
from  It  we  could  see  smoke  issuing  from  a  large  cleft  near 
the  summit  In  Ounimak  Passage  a  second  volcano  over 
5000  feet  in  height  was  seen,  and  Captain  Scammon  ob- 
served during  the  night  the  fire  of  one  on  Akoutan  Island. 
The  whole  chain  of  the  Aleutian  Islands  is  volcanic.  They 
deserve  an  expedition  to  themselves. 

We  arrived  in  Norton  Sound  on  the  12th  Se{)tcmber, 
having  experienced  very  rough  weather  in  Behring  Sea;  in 
i'act,  during  part  of  the  time  we  had  to  "  lay  to."  Ap- 
proaching for  the  first  time  these  northern  coasts  of  Rus- 
sian America,  we  observed  with  surprise  the  dried-up  and 
sunburnt  appearance  of  every  thing  on  shore.  The  hills 
varied  much  in  color,  from  shades  of  crimson  and  red,  to 
tints  of  brown  and  yellow.  The  summer  in  this  country, 
though  short,  is  intensely  warm  while  it  lasts ;  late  in  the 
season,  hot  days  alternate  with  frosty  nights,  and  the  vege- 
tation is  much  affected  thereby.  We  went  into  the  Sound 
carefully  taking  soundings,  and  indeed  it  was  very  neces- 
sary, as  our  later  experience  will  show.  We  arrived  off  the 
Island  of  St.  Michael's  at  10  A.M.  on  the  13th,  and  found 
that  our  steamer  had  already  called  there,  and  had  again 
started  for  Behring  Straits. 

On"  the  Island  of  St.  Michael's,  or  Michaelovski,  is  a 
Russian  trading-post  of  some  importance,  which  will  be 
hereafter  described.  Major  Kennicott  began  at  once  to 
land  his  party,  with  their  supplies  and  personal  effects,  and 
also  to  fit  up  the  "  Lizzie  Horner,"  a  small  steamer  which 
had  been  brought  up  on  the  deck  of  our  ship.  She  was 
intended  for  the  navigation  of  the  Yukon,  but,  alas,  proved 
worthless,  and  in  fiiet  never  left  Norton  Sound. 

Major  Kennicott  found  at  St.  Michael's  an  Indian  who 
stated  thai  he  had  been  up  the  Yukon  to  its  junction  with 
tho  "  Porcupine."     Colonel  Bulkley,  before  leaving  in  the 


^ni 


110 


J*L0VKu  Bay. 


atojimor  "  Wright,"  bad  t.'ikcn  on  board  a  little  lialf-brcrd 
boy  to  give  him  the  advantage  of  a  good  education  in  San 
Kraneiseo.  This  was,  of  course,  done  with  his  friends'  per- 
fect consent.  On  leaving,  his  Indian  mother  said  to  the 
colonel,  "  Teach  him,  sir,  nothing  but  good."  Could  any 
mother  have  said  more  ?"* 

On  the  17th  we  parted  from  our  exploring  friend'i  and 
turned  our  ship's  bows  toward  the  Asiatic  coast.  Ca{)tain 
Scammon  made  a  series  of  very  interesting  soundings  on 
this  trip,  liehring  Sea  is  well  known  to  be  extremely 
shallow,  but  few  would  suppose  that  the  whalers  can  and 
do  anchor  in  nearly  ever}'^  part  of  it  on  occasii)ns,  weather 
permitting.  Between  latitudes  G-l''  and  ()6°  N.  the  average 
depth  is  slightly  under  nineteen  and  a  half  fathoms.  We 
passed  to  the  south  of  the  large  Island  of  St.  Lawrence,  and 
found  the  bottom  very  even.  At  the  starting-point  of  this 
voyage — St.  Michael's — the  soundings  gave  five  fathoms, 
deepening  gradually  to  twenty-live  fathoms  off  the  S.E.  end 
of  St.  Lawrence  Island.  From  thence  to  Plover  Bay  it 
averaged  thirty-five  fathoms,  and  shoaled  to  nineteen  fath- 
oms immediately  off  the  bay  itself.  The  bottom  was  foun*! 
to  consist  mainly  of  a  soft  mud  and  sand:  one  cast  oft*  the 
eastern  end  of  St.  Lawrence  Island  near  a  rocky  islet  brought 
up  gravel. 

On  the  22d  wc  made  the  land  ofT  Port  Providence,  or 
"  Plover  "  Baj',  as  it  has  always  been  called  by  the  whalers 
who  freqnent  it  since  the  winter  of  1848-9,  when  II.  M.  S. 
"Plover"  laid  up  there,  when  on  the  search  for  Sir  John 


*  This  hoy,  with  a  second  tnkcn  from  Petropnulovski,  mndo  sooc*  progress 
in  San  Fnuicisco.  Col.  Biilklov's  object  wns,  of  course,  eventually  to  miiky 
these  youths  of  service  to  the  telegraph  company.  They  were,  at  the  aban- 
donment of  the  scheme,  returned  to  their  friends.  Col.  Bulkley  also  took 
down  a  Tchuktchi  boy  from  Plover  Ray,  wiio  was  educated  in  the  sam<^ 
nianne  ,  and  we  had.  at  diiferent  jjeriodt:,  several  Aleutian  Islanders  (Aleuts) 
as  sailors  on  our  vessels. 


If-brccil 
i  ill  Sail 
ids'  pcr- 
i  to  tlu^ 
aid  any 

nd'i  anil 
Captain 
lings  on 
:tromc]y 
can  and 
weather 
avcrago 
IS.     W«^ 
ncc,  and 
t  of  this 
athoms, 
•E.  end 
Bay  it 
icn  fath- 
IS  found 
oil*  the 
)rought 

jnce,  or 

Ivhalers 

[.  M.  S. 

ir  John 


progress 
Ito  miiku 
lio  aban- 
llso  took 
lie  samo. 
^Aleuts) 


H 


' 


'I 


i  ;i 


! 


^: 


TCHUKTCHI  SKIN-CANOE. 


FRAME-WORK  OF  TCHUKTCHI  HOUSE. 


fc 


The  Tchuktciiis. 


lU 


Franklin.*  It  docs  not  derive  its  name  from  wluiling 
pursuits,  although  an  ingenious  Dutchman  of  our  number 
persisted  in  calling  it  "Blubber"  Bay.  But  we  were 
doomed  to  disappointment,  foi-  when  in  sight  of  the  bay  a 
gale  of  Wi'nd  rose,  and  we  were  driven  several  hundred  miles 
to  the  southward,  not  regaining  our  position  till  the  2Gth, 
when  we  went  in  successfully,  to  find  the  "  W^jglit"  await- 


ing us. 


Plover  Bay,  when  once  you  are  in  it,  is  a  very  secure 
haven.  It  is  sheltered  at  its  southern  end  by  a  long  spit  of 
land,  and  it  is  no  uncommon  thing  to  find  several  whaling- 
vessels  lying  inside  in  the  summer.  It  includes  two  small- 
er basins ;  one  known  as  Emma  Harbor,  the  second  to  be 
hereafter  mentioned.  Bare  cliffs  and  rugged  mountains 
hem  it  in  on  three  sides,  the  mountains  composed  of  an  in- 
finite number  of  fragments  split  up  by  the  action  of  frost, 
innumerable  and  many-colored  lichens  and  mosses  are  the 
only  vegetation  to  be  seen,  except  on  a  patch  of  open 
country  near  Emma  Harbor  where  domesticated  reindeer 


graze. 


On  the  spit  before  mentioned  is  a  village  of  Tchuktchi 
natives ;  their  tents  are  composed  of  skin.  The  remains  of 
under-ground  houses  are  seen,  but  the  people  who  used  them 
have  passed  away.  The  present  race  makes  no  use  of  such 
houses. 

Although  their  skin  dwellings  appear  outwardly  rough, 
and  are  patched  with  every  variety  of  hide — walrus,  seal, 
and  reindeer — with  here  and  there  a  fragment  of  a  sail  ob- 
tained from  tbe  whalers,  they  are  in  reality  constructed 
over  frames  built  of  the  large  bones  of  whales  and  walrus, 
and  very  admirably  put  together.  In  this  most  exposed 
of  villages  the  wintry  blasts  must  be  fearful,  yet  these  peo- 

*  Sec  Lieut.  Hoopei'a  "Tents  of  the  Tuski"  for  a  full  account  of  the 
'•Plover's"  stay. 

H 


n 


^i\\ 


*\ 

\  lil 


■  ■  I' 


)    v\ 


m 


\-v 


Ill 


TV 


The  TciiUKTcuiis. 


lit 


pie  arc  to  bo  found  there  at  all  seasons.  Wood  tlioy  have 
none,  and  blubber  lamps  are  the  only  means  they  have  lor 
warming  their  tents.     The  frames  of  some   of  th(  .u 

canoes  are  also  of  bone.  On  either  side  of  these  craft,  which 
are  the  counterpart  of  the  Greenland  "oomiak,"  it  is  usual 
to  find  a  seal-skin  blown  out  tight,  and  the  ends  secured. 
These  serve  as  floats  when  the  canoe  heels  over.  They 
have  very  strong  lishing-nets,  made  of  thin  strips  of  walrus 
hide. 

The  Tchuktchis  appear  to  bo  a  strongly-built  race,  al- 
though the  inhabitants  of  this  particular  village,  from  in- 
tercourse with  whaling-vessels,  have  been  much  demoral- 
ized. I  have  seen  one  of  these  natives  carry  the  awkward 
burden  of  a  carpenter's  chest  weighing  tv;o  hundred 
pounds,  without  apparently  considering  it  any  great  exer- 
tion. They  are  a  good-humored  people,  and  not  greedier 
than  the  average  of  natives,  so  fat  as  our  experience  goes. 
They  were  of  some  service  to  a  party  of  our  men  who  win- 
tered there  in  1866-7. 

The  children  are  so  tightly  sewn  up  in  reindeer  skin 
clothing  that  they  look  like  walking  bags,  and  tumble  about 
with  the  greatest  impunity.  All  of  these  people  wear  skin 
coats,  pantaloons,  and  boots,  excepting  only  on  high  days 
iii  summer,  when  you  may  see  a  few  old  garments  of  more 
civilized  appearance  that  have  seen  better  days,  and  have 
been  traded  off  by  the  sailors  of  vessels  calling  there. 

The  true  Tchuktchi  method  of  smoking  is  to  swallow 
all  the  fumes  of  the  tobacco,  and  I  have  seen  them  after  six 
or  eight  pulls  at  a  pipe  fall  back  completely  intoxicated  for 
the  time  being.  Their  pipes  are  infinitely  larger  in  the 
stem  than  in  the  bowl;  the  latter,  indeed,  holds  an  infini- 
tesimally  small  amount  of  tobacco. 

It  is  said  that  the  Tchuktchis  murder  the  old  and  feeble, 
but  only  with  the  victims'  consent  1     They  do  not  appear 


• '  N  A  U  •  K  L'  M . 


5  ) 


Hi 


oy  have 
liavc  ibr 

ft,  which 
,  is  usual 
secured, 
r.  They 
of  walrus 

t  race,  al- 
,  from  in- 

demoral- 

awkward 

hundred 

rreat  excr- 

,t  greedier 

cnce  goes. 

■who  win- 

ideer  skin 
Inble  about 
wear  skin 
(high  days 
ts  of  more 
and  have 
lere. 

|o  swallow 

after  six 

dcated  for 

rer  in  the 

an  infini- 

ind  feeble, 
lot  appear 


TCUt'KTCni   PIPE. 


to  indulge  in  any  unnecessary  cruelty,  but  endeavor  to 
stupefy  the  aged  sacrifice  before  letting  a  vein.  This  is 
said  to  be  done  by  putting  some  substance  up  the  nostrils ; 
but  the  whole  statement  must  be  received  with  caution,  al- 
though we  derived  it  from  a  shrewd  native  who  had  been 
much  employed  by  captains  of  vessels  in  the  capacity  of 
interpreter,  and  who  could  speak  in  broken  Englisli. 

This  man,  by  name  "  Nau-kum,"  was  of  service  on  va- 
rious occasions,  and  was  accordingly  much  petted  by  us. 
Some  of  his  remarks  are  worthy  of  record.  On  being  taken 
down  into  the  engine-room  of  the  "  Wright,"  he  examined 
it  carefully,  and  then  shaking  his  head,  said  solemnly,  "  Too 
muchee  wheel,  makee  man  too  muchee  think  !"  Ilia  curi- 
osity when  on  board  was  unappeasable.  "  What's  that 
fellow  ?"  was  his  constant  query  with  regard  to  any  thing 
from  the  "  donkey  engine  "  to  the  mainmast.  On  one  occa- 
sion he  heard  two  men  discussing  rather  warmly,  and  could 
not  at  all  understand  such  unnecessary  excitement,  "  That 
fellow  crazy  ?"  said  he. 

Colonel  Bulkley  gave  him  a  suit  of  clothes,  wnth  gor- 
geous brass  buttons,  and  many  other  presents.  One  of  our 
men  remarked  to  him,  "  Why,  Nau-kum,  you'll  be  a  king 
soon  1"  "  Kinor  be  d — d,"  was  his  extremely  radical  answer! 


n 


Ptl 


116 


M' 


rilK     "  SlIKNANDOAIl  "     IMllATK. 


1^' 

BIT  '  . 

pi  I  ' 


It  is  of  course  obvious  where  ho  hail  got  liis  sehooling. 
The  whalers  use  sueh  men  on  oneasions  as  pilots,  traders, 
and  interpreters,  and  to  Nau-ku!n  in  particular  I  know  as 
much  as  live  barrels  of  villainous  wiiisky  liave  been  in- 
trusted, for  which  he  accounted  satisfa^itorily. 

The  truth-loving  Chippewa,  wiien  asked,  "  Arc  you  a 
Christian  Indian?"  promptly  replied,  "  No,  I  wiiishky  In- 
jen  I"  and  the  truthful  Tchuktchi  would  say  the  same. 
They  all  appear  to  be  intensely  fond  of  spirits.  The  traders 
soil  them  lirpior  of  the  most  horrible  kind,  not  much  supe- 
rior to  the  "  coal  oil "  or  "  kerosene  "  used  for  lamps. 

They  appeared  to  understand  the  telegraph  scheme  in  a 
general  way,  and  had  probably  been  enlightened  by  the 
whaling-ea{)tains  before  our  arrival.  "  Enoch,"  a  very  in- 
telligent and  quiet  native,  gave  us  an  outline  of  the  project 
somewhat  as  follows  :  "  S'pose  lop?  fixy,  well-*one  Melican 
man  Plower  Bay,  make  talky  all  the  same  San  Flancisco 
Melican."  Perhaps  quite  as  lucid  an  explanation  as  you 
could  get  from  an  agricultural  laborer  or  a  "city  Arab"  at 
home. 

We  had  been  expecting  to  meet  at  some  part  of  our 
northern  voyage  the  famed  and  dreaded  "  Shenandoah." 
It  is  an  old  story  to  return  to  now,  but  I  was  an  eye-wit- 
ness of  the  havoc  wrought  by  her.  The  whole  of  the  coast 
was  i'lrewed  with  fragments  of  the  vessels  burnt  by  her,  and 
the  natives  had  several  boats  and  other  remains  of  her 
wanton  doings.  She  had  left  the  Arctic  and  Behring  Sea 
at  ^he  end  of  June  of  the  same  year  (1865),  but  not  till  thir- 
ty American  whaling- vessels  had  been  burnt  by  her.  The 
captains  and  crews  had  been  for  the  most  part  sent  down 
to  San  Francisco,  and  I  have  since  met  a  gentleman  who 
was  one  of  the  victims.  He  did  not  complain  of  ill-usage 
from  the  pirate  captain,  but  spoke  much  of  the  wholesale 
destruction  of  private  property.     The  captain  of  an  En- 


tiji'-f^ 


AVATCIIA     HaV. 


117 


hooling. 
tnulcrs, 
know  as 
been  in- 

c  you  u 
shky  In- 
u;  siunc. 
le  traders 
iicli  su pe- 
ps. 

icmc  in  a 
d  by  the 
a  very  in- 
be  project 
»c  Melican 

.^'lancisco 
)n  as  you 

Arab  "  at 

,rt  of  our 
landoab. 
cyc-wit- 
tbc  coast 
y  ber,  and 
ns  of  ber 
bring  Sea 
^t  till  tbir- 
ler.    Tbe^ 
lent  down 
tman  "wbo 
ill-usage 
Iwbolesale 
V  an  En- 


glisb  whaler,  the  "  Robert  Tawns,"  of  Sydney,  iiad  warned 
and  saved  sonic  of  tho  American  vessels,  and  ho  was  in 
conse([uence  threatened  by  tlie  "Shenandoah." 

2C)t/i-'l[)t/L  Scptnnhfr. — The  weather  was  now  getting  cold 
and  brisk,  a  skin  of  ice  forming  on  the  bay,  and  icicles 
hanging  from  the  shrouds  and  ship's  boats.  We  learned 
on  good  authority  that  the  whole  of  Plover  Hay  was  fro- 
zen up  by  the  5th  of  October  in  18G4.  The  smaller  bay 
(Kmma  Harbor),  leading  out  of  the  main  one,  was  frozen 
up  at  the  above  dates. 

On  the  20th  we  got  a  favorable  breeze,  and  set  sail  for 
Petropaulovski.  The  following  days  were  only  remarkable 
for  light  breezes  or  baflling  head  winds,  and  we  did  not 
make  the  entrance  to  Avatcha  Bay  till  the  14th  October, 
on  which  day  we  got  our  first  glimpse  of  the  grand  volca- 
noes which  are  so  important  a  feature  of  the  scenery  in  the 
Peninsula  of  Kamchatka.*  On  the  morning  of  the  15th 
we  passed  through  the  entrance  to  the  Bay  of  Avatcha,  and 
soon  dropped  anchor  outside  of  the  harbor  of  Petropaul- 
ovski, not,  however,  before  several  of  the  foreign  residents 
had  boarded  us. 

♦  Tlic  abovo  modo  of  spelling  the  word  represents  the  sound  in  a  pho- 
netic sense  better  than  the  common  version.  I  Iiad  opportunities  of  be- 
coming; familiar  with  the  Russian  pronunciation  of  the  word  on  many  oc- 
casions, and  not  merely  at  this  visit. 


. 


1 


^^ 

111  ■ 

f    ! 


!  i 


118 


Petkopaulovski 


CHAPTER  IX. 

PETROPAULOVSKI  AND   OUR   RETURN  VOYAGE  TO   SAN 

FRANCISCO. 

The  Harbor. —  Town. —  Monnnicnts. —  The  Fur-tnule. —  Kamchatkiv  pen- 
orally. — The  Volcanoes. — The  Attack  of  the  Allies  in  IHo't. — Thcii  Re- 
turn in  IS.")"*. — The  "General  Teste." — Rejoin  the  Steamer  "Wright.'" 
— Gale. — Incidents  of  Storm. — Covert's  "  Smoke-stack." 

4 

The  harbor  of  Petropaiilovski  is  protected  by  a  long  spit, 
an  apparently  common  feature  of  the  coast.  Inside  it  there 
is  a  good  depth  of  water,  and  a  vessel  once  in,  can  ride  in 
safety,  though  ctorms  rage  outside.  The  town  encircles  the 
haven  on  the  north  and  east  sides,  and  it  is  shut  in  by  a 
hilly  promontory  on  the  west.  Behind  the  town  is  some 
steep  hilly  ground,  through  a  gap  in  which  the  volcano 
ot'  Koriatski  towers  grandly.  It  is  over  thirty  miles  dis- 
tant, and  yet,  in  clear  weather,  it  does  not  appear  five. 

With  the  exception  of  a  few  decent  houses,  the  resi- 
dences of  the  Ilussian  officials  and  foreign  merchants,  the 
town  makes  no  great  show.  The  poorer  dwellings  are  very 
rough  indeed,  and  are  almost  exclusively  rude  log-cabins. 
The  only  noticeable  building  is  the  old  Greek  Church,  which 
has  painted  red  and  green  roofs,  and  a  belfry  entirely  de- 
tached from  the  buildina;.  It  is  to  be  remarked  that  the 
town,  as  it  existed  in  Captain  Clerke's  time,  was  built  on 
the  sand-spit,  but  no  remains  or  indications  of  it  were  dis- 
covered by  us.  Petropaulovski  was  once  a  military  post, 
and  bad  a  rather  larger  population  than  at  present.  The 
(^ossack  soldiers  have  now  been  removed  to  the  Amoor. 


)   SAN 


iivtkiv  pen- 
-Theiv  Ke- 
'  Wright.'" 


ong  spit, 

3  it  there 

I  ride  in 

rclcs  the 

i  in  by  a 

is  some 

volcano 

lies  dis- 

ve. 

he  resi- 
nts,  the 
re  very 
-cabins. 
li,  which 
rely  de- 
that  the 
)uilt  on 
^ere  dis- 
ry  post, 
The 
Inoor. 


ev 


Ri'l; 


ft' 


M 


i. 


Monuments  in  the  Town. 


121 


There  are  two  monuments  of  interest  in  tbe  town:  the 
first  in  honor  of  Behring,  the  other  to  the  memory  of  L;i 
Perouse.  The  former  is  a  cast-iron  column  of  no  great 
pretensions;  the  latter,  a  nondescript  erection  of  octagonal 
form,  constructed  of  sheet-iron.  Neither  of  these  naviga- 
tors is  buried  in  Petropaulovski.  Behring's  remains  lie  on 
the  island  where  he  died,  and  which  bears  his  name ;  while 
La  Perouse  and  his  unfortunate  companions  suffered  ship- 


MONUMENT  TO  BEHKING,  TETliOPAULOVSKI. 


wreck,  and  but  little  traces  were  ever  found  of  their  expe- 
dition. We  looked  in  vain  for  the  monument  to  Captain 
Gierke  (Captain  Cook's  successor),  which  existed  as  late  as 
the  date  of  Beechey's  visit.  The  spot  (in  an  enclosure  be- 
longing to  the  captain  of  the  port)  where  once  it  stood  was 
pointed  out  to  us,  much  overgrown  with  nettles  and  weeds. 
The  Eussian  Ameri'vi  Company  had  at  one  period 
stations  in  Petropauiovski,  and  other  parts  of  Kamchatka, 


ill 


122 


Kamchatka. 


m 


but  abandoned  them,  owing  doubtless  to  the  competition  of 
private  traders.  To  sucli  a  pitcli  has  competition  brought 
the  fur-trade  of  that  country,  that  it  is  now  only  a  very 
moderately  profitable  pursuit.  As  much  as  thirty  dollars 
— sometimes  in  hard  cash — is  paid  for  one  Siberian  sable 
of  good  quality,  and  the  merchants  have  fi'cquently  to  ad- 
vance Q:oods  to  the  native  traders  ard  hunters  a  loniJt  time 
before  they  get  any  returns.  Petropaulovski  is  one  of  the 
centres  of  this  trade,  but  Nijne  (New)  Kamchatka  is  the 
present  capital.  Bolcheretsk  was  considered  the  principal 
town  formerly,  but  it  has  dwindled  down  to  an  inconsider- 
able village,  and  indeed  the  population,  and  with  it  the 
products  of  Kamchatka,  are  on  the  decline.  Yet  the  cli- 
mate is  by  no  means  so  bad  as  commonly  believed.  Col- 
onel Bulkley  considered  it  better  than  that  of  some  of  the 
New  England  States  and  Canada,  and  it  is  quite  certain 
that  agriculture  is  possible.  The  grass  round  Petropaul- 
ovski ripens  into  hay  during  the  brief  summer,  and  garden 
stuff  is  raised  in  small  quantities  in  the  outskirts  of  the 
town. 

I  am  convinced  that  Kamchatka  would  repay  a  detailed 
examination.  It  is  a  partially  settled  country ;  the  Kam- 
chatdales  are  a  good-humored,  harmless,  semi-civilized  race ; 
and  the  few  Kussian  officials  and  settlers  would  gladly  wel- 
come the  traveller.  The  attractions  of  the  country  for  the 
Alpine  climber  can  not  be  overstated.  The  peninsula  con- 
tains a  chain  of  volcanic  peaks  of  the  grandest  character, 
attaining,  it  is  said,  in  the  Klutchcvskoi  Mountain,  a  height 
of  16,000  feet.  In  the  country  immediately  behind  Petro- 
paulovski are  the  three  mountains,  Koriatski,  Avatcha,  and 
Koseldskai ;  the  first  of  these  is  between  eleven  and  twelve 
thousand  feet  in  height,  and  is  an  unfailing  land-mark  for 
the  port. 

From  the  summit  of  the  steep  hills  which  so  nearly  en- 


L 


rdon 


tailed 
Kam- 


race 


w 


el- 
the 
con- 
icter, 
iiglit 
fetro- 
and 
reive 
for 


en- 


ii 


VOLCANO-^'S. 


125 


closed  Petropaulovski,  a  grand  view  of  these  mountains  is 
obtained ;  a  comparatively  level  country  stretches  to  their 
base.  It  is,  however,  covered  with  rank  grass  and  under- 
brush, and  intersected  by  numerous  streams:  a  journey  to 
them  would  be  more  easily  made  in  winter  time  than  in 
summer.  To  the  S.  S.W.  of  the  town  a  fourth  peak — that 
of  Vilutchinski — towers  above  the  coast-line,  and  is  a  very 
beautiful  feature  in  the  landscape.  Petropaulovski  has 
been  frequently  visited  by  earthquakes,  accompanied  some- 
times by  showers  of  ashes  from  these  volcanoes.  The 
smoke  from  Koriatski  was  several  times  observed  by  us; 
its  pure  snows  only  hid  the  boiling,  bubbling  lava  beneath. 

The  object  of  our  visit  was  to  communicate,  by  special 
courier,  with  Major  Abasa,  a  Russian  gentleman  in  our  tele- 
graph service  who  had  formed  a  station  at  Ghijega,  at  the 
head  of  the  Ochotsk  Sea.*  The  facilities  of  travel  on  the 
peninsula  are  superior  to  those  on  the  coast  of  the  above- 
mentioned  sea.  In  winter  small  Siberian  horses,  reindeer, 
and  dogs  are  all  employed  for  sledging  purposes.  The 
feeding  of  the  dogs  of  Petropaulovski  took  place  every 
evening,  and  their  yelps  and  howlings  made  night  hideous. 
One  dried  salmon  per  diem  was  each  dog's  allowance,  and 
they  were  much  better  off  than  their  Russian  American 
cousins,  who  in  summer  have  to  forage  for  themselves. 

The  hospitality  extended  to  us  was  almost  unlimited. 
Dinners,  balls,  suppers  followed  each  other  in  rapid  succes- 
sion ;  we  had  a  steam-boat  excursion  in  Avatcha  Bay.  One 
of  the  dishes  common  in  Petropaulovski  was  salmon  pie, 
constructed  apparently  of  eggs  and  salmon,  covered  with  a 
crust.  Salmon  is  very  abundant  in  the  harbor  and  neigh- 
boring streams,  and  some  has  been  put  up  in  salt  for  ex- 
port. 

*  See  the  "  Proceedings  "  of  the  Royal  Geographical  Society  for  Fob.  1 1, 
1867. 


U'' 


I 


P  ; 


126 


Attack  of  the  Allies 


Wc  also  got  a  little  sledging  when  the  snow  fell  just  be- 
fore our  departure.  The  iee  was  fast  forming  in  the  har- 
bor, and  it  was  often  a  serious  undertaking  to  row  ashore. 

It  is  well  known  that  in  1855— during  the  Crimear  War 
— Petropaulovski  was  visited  by  the  Allied  fleet.  The  rec- 
ord of  Ihat  visit  has  been  duly  laid  before  the  public,  com- 
mented on,  and  forgotten ;  but  it  is  not  so  generally  known 
that  our  first  attack,  the  previous  year,  was  by  no  means  a 
subject  of  congratulation  for  us,  and  (although  well  under- 
stood by  naval  officers,  and  especially  by  those  who  have 
served  on  the  Pacific  station)  it  has  been  kept  uncommon- 
ly quiet.  The  fact  is  that,  at  the  first  visit,  the  wretched 
little  town  made — greatly  to  its  own  surprise — a  successful 
resistance,  and  is  very  proud  of  the  fact.  The  inhabitants 
look  upon  the  combat  at  Petropaulovski  as  one  of  the  de- 
cisive battles  of  the  world ! 

The  narrative  I  am  about  to  lay  before  tbe  reader  was 
obtained  on  the  spot,  but  not  merely  from  the  Eussians. 
An  Englishman — Mr.  Fletcher — who  had  resided  there  for 
thirty  years,  and  several  of  the  foreign  merchants  who  were 
in  the  town  at  the  date  of  the  attack,  confirmed  the  Musco- 
vite versions  of  the  storj''. 

In  the  autumn  of  1854  (28tli  August)  six  vessels  of  war 
— French  and  English — comprising  the  "President,"  "Vi- 
rago," "Pique,"  "La  Forte,"  " L'Eurydice,"  and  "Obliga- 
do  " — arrived  off  Avatcha  Bay ;  a  gun,  placed  near  the  light- 
house at  the  entrance,  was  fired  by  the  Russians,  and  gave 
the  inhabitants  of  Petropaulovski  notice  to  be  on  the  alert. 
Admiral  Price  immediately  reconnoitered  the  harbor  and 
town,  and  placed  the  "Virago"  in  position  at  a  range  of 
2000  vards. 

The  Russians  were  by  no  means  unprepared.  Two  of 
their  vessels,  the  "Aurora"  and  "Dwina,"  defended  the 
harbor,  and  a  chain  crossing  the  narrow  entrance  shut  it  in. 


,1  i 


On  Petropaulovski   in  1854. 


127 


iga- 


of 


lin. 


There  were  seven  batteries  and  earth-works,  mounting 
about  iifty  guns  of  fair  calibre. 

The  "  Virago "  commenced  the  action  with  a  well-di- 
rected fire,  and  several  of  the  batteries  were  either  tem- 
porarily or  entirely  disabled.  The  one  farthest  from  the 
town,  on  the  western  side,  was  taken  by  a  body  of  marines 
landed  for  the  purpose.  The  guns  were  spiked.  Four  of 
the  Allied  fleet  were  specially  engaged,  and  the  Russians 
returned  their  fire  with  spirit.  There  were  three  batteries 
outside  and  on  the  spit,  two  at  the  termination  of  the  prom- 
ontory on  the  western  side  of  the  harbor,  and  one  in  a 
gorge  of  the  same,  which  opens  on  Avatcha  Bay.  It  is  in 
this  little  valley  that  the  monument  to  La  Perouse  stands. 

The  town  was  well  defended  both  by  nature  and  by  art. 
The  hills  shut  it  in  so  completely  that  it  was  apparently 
only  vulnerable  at  the  rear.  There,  a  small  valley  opened 
out  into  a  flat  strip  of  land  immediately  bordering  the  bay, 
and  although  there  was  a  battery  on  it,  it  seemed  an  excel- 
lent spot  to  land  troops. 

Our  vessels  having  taken  up  a  new  position  and  silenced 
the  batteries  commanding  it,  700  marines  and  sailors  were 
put  ashore.  Half  of  them  were  English,  half  French  ;  a 
large  number  of  officers  accompanied  them,  while  they  had 
for  guides  two  Americans  said  to  know  the  ground.  They 
appear  to  have  expected  a  very  easy  victory,  and  hurried 
in  a  detached  and  straggling  style  in  the  direction  of  the 
town  instead  of  proceeding  in  compact  form,  in  military 
order.  A  number  of  bushes  and  small  trees  existed  and 
still  exist  on  the  hill-sides  surrounding  this  spot,  ind  be- 
hind them  were  posted  Cossack  sharp-shooters,  who  iircd 
into  our  men,  and  either  from  skill  or  accident  picked  off 
nearly  every  officer.  The  men  not  seeing  their  enemy,  and 
having  lost  their  leaders,  became  panic-struck,  and  fell  back 
in  disorder.     A  retreat  was  sounded,  but  the  men  strug- 


128 


Repulse  of  the  Allies. 


t 


iii;, 
1!U 


i 


gling  in  the  bushes  and  underbrush  (and,  in  truth,  most  of 
them  being  sailors,  were  out  of  their  element  on  land),  be- 
eame  mueh  seattered,  and  it  was  generally  believed  that 
many  were  killed  by  the  random  shots  of  their  companions. 
A  number  fled  up  a  hill  at  the  rear  of  the  town.  Their 
Ibes  pursued  and  pressed  upon  them,  and  many  were  killed 
by  falling  over  the  steep  cliff  in  which  the  hill  terminates. 

The  inhabitants — astonished  at  their  own  prowess,  and 
knowing  that  they  could  not  hold  the  town  against  a  more 
vigorous  attack,  were  preparing  to  vacate  it — when  the 
fleet  weighed  anchor  and  set  sail,  and  no  more  was  seen  of 
them  that  year !  The  sudden  death  of  our  admiral  is  al- 
ways attributed  to  the  events  of  that  attack,  as  he  was 
known  not  to  have  been  killed  by  a  ball  from  the  enemy.* 

Before  the  second  visit  in  May  and  June,  185.5,  every 
body — except  the  foreign  residents — had  vacated  the  town. 
Early  in  the  spring  of  the  same  year  the  Russian  squadron 
had  received  orders  to  leave  it  to  ^ts  fate  at  the  break-up 
of  the  ice.  The  Russian  Government  had  indeed  given  up 
all  idea  of  defending  so  worthless  a  town,  and,  for  two  rea- 
sons, we  also  should  have  left  it  alone.  First,  it  was  an  in- 
significant place,  and  victory  could  never  be  glorious; 
while,  secondly,  it  has  been — from  the  time  of  Cook  to  our 
own  days — famous  for  the  hospitality  and  assistance  ex- 
tended to  our  explorers  and  voyagers.f  All  is  not  fair  in 
war. 

When  therefore  the  Allies  landed  at  their  second  visit 
they  found  an  empty  town.:]:  They,  however,  captured  a 
Russian  whaler,  and  burned  some  of  the  government  build- 
ings.    The  latter  it  is  said  was  done  unintentionally,  or, 

*  See  "  Nautical  Magazine,"  October,  1855.  It  is  there  stated  that  107 
English  were  killed  or  wounded  in  the  engagement. 

+  See  Cook,  Cochrane,  Beechcy,  and  others. 

+  For  an  account  of  the  second  visit  in  1855,  see  Tronson's  "  Voyage  to 
Japan,  Kaintschatka."  etc.  • 


m- 


liEJOlN    TIIK    ''  WuKi  IIT 


rjt> 


more  probably,  was  tlie  work  of  some  wanton  jack-tar. 
The  batteries  and  earth-works  were  of  course  razed  to  the 
ground. 

We  all  visited  the  battle-field,  and  found  it  still  strewed 
with  the  remains  of  shells,  etc.  In  getting  out  ballast  from 
a  bank  near  the  town,  several  cannon-balls  were  unearthed. 
The  monument  to  La  Perousc  was  peppered  all  over  with 
bullet  marks.  , 

It  was  at  that  period  that  an  old  French  captain,  com- 
manding a  whaler  named  the  "  General  Teste,"  was  saved 
from  the  Russian  hands  by  a  rather  ingenious  ruse.  He 
was  in  a  terrible  state  of  mind  when  cruising  in  Behring 
Sea,  expecting  hourly  to  lose  bis  vessel,  and  the  American 
captains  of  the  whaling-fleet,  pitying  him,  came  to  his  aid. 
They  induced  him  first  to  substitute  "Washington"  foi' 
"  Teste."  His  vessel  then  became  the  "  General  Washing- 
ton." Next  they  got  him  to  hoist  the  "stars  and  stripes'' 
in  place  of  the  "  tri-color."  Lastly,  they  made  him,  much 
against  his  will,  keep  a  bottle  of  "cocktails"  ready  mixed 
for  all  comers ;  and  by  these  three  devices  his  vessel  es- 
caped detection ! 

On  the  31st  October  I  again  joined  my  old  friends  on 
the  "  Wright,"  and  on  the  1st  November  we  steamed  out 
of  Avatcha  Bay.  By-the-by,  why  will  geographers  persist 
in  spelling  the  distinctly  pronounced  Avatcha  as  though  it 
were  a  difficult  and  excruciating  word  ?  We  have  it  in  all 
shapes — AwatsJca,  Aiuatscha,  xiwatcha,  and  xivatsl-a.  From 
long  intercourse  with  educated  Russians  I  know  that 
Avatcha  represents  the  word  phonetically  (and  it  is  useless 
to  attempt  to  render  Russian  in  any  other  way). 

During  the  next  fortnight  we  experienced  very  bad 
weather,  which  culminated  on  the  14th  in  a  gale  from  the 
S.E.,  in  which  a  series  of  disasters  made  us  fear  for  our 
vessel's  safety.     The  first  was  a  novelty  in  its  way.     A 


I     it; 


! 


180 


Exposed  to  a  Galk. 


1^ 


lopo  snapped,  our  "  main  boom"  swung  round  and  knock- 
i'A  the  funnel  overboard  ;  and,  as  the  weather  was  so  um- 
pestuous,  we  had  simply  to  cut  the  chains  or  "guys"  which 
held  it  and  let  it  drop  to  the  ocean's  bed.  A  little  later 
our  steering  aj)paratus  got  out  of  ordiT,  and  our  little 
steamer  lay  in  the  trough  of  the  sea  as  helpless  as  a  log, 
steaming  being  rendered  impossible  by  these  two  accidents. 
The  waves  washed  over  her  every  few  minutes,  and  her 
bulwarks  (or  "guards")  were  so  low  that  wc  expected  ev- 
ery moment  to  see  the  "  house  on  deck"  carried  overboard. 
It  was  stove  in  in  a  score  of  places,  and  the  cabins  present- 
ed a  pitiable  spectacle — a  wreck  of  trunks,  furniture,  and 
crockery.  Sail  after  sail  was  carried  away  by  the  sudden 
squalls,  and  we  were  at  length  left  with  nothing  to  lie  under. 
A  few  long  streamers  of  canvas  hanging  from  the  yards 
alone  showed  where  they  had  been.  On  the  17th  we  ship- 
ped a  sea,  which  threatened  to  engulf  us.  A  torrent  rushed 
into  the  aft  cabin,  down  the  stairs,  and  through  the  sky- 
light, extinguished  the  lamps  a"nd  lire,  and  left  us  tumbling 
about  in  two  or  three  feet  of  wat^r.  This  night  our  vessel 
seemed  to  be  constantly  driving  under  water,  and  our  sail- 
ors were  often  thrown  down  and  much  bruised,  although 
no  one  happily  was  lost.  Captain  Marston  behaved  with 
great  coolness,  lashed  himself  on  deck,  and  remained  there 
all  night,  half-frozen,  and  with  seas  washing  over  him  every 
few  minutes.  We  landsmen  did  not  expect  to  see  our  na- 
tive element  again  ;  and  although  I  had  been  in  many  gales, 
it  was,  without  exception,  the  very  worst  I  had  experienced. 
Fortunately  the  hull  of  our  vessel  was  stanch  and  sound, 
and  our  pumps  in  perfect  order. 

The  storm  lasted  for  nearly  a  week,  and  was  not  devoid 
of  incident.  For  part  of  one  day,  the  sea  driving  faster  than 
our  vessel^  acted  in  such  a  manner  on  the  screw  that,  in  its 
turn,  it  worked  the  engine  at  a  greater  rate  than  we  had 


Close  of  ouu  Yuvagk. 


131 


over  attniiicd  by  .steam  !  In  the  end  the  eoupling  was  (lis- 
eoiineuti'tl,  (oiirin;^  injin'y  to  tlie  inju^liiiicry. 

In  the  *' stutivrooni"  of  the  liousc  on  deck,  oeenpied  by 
Mr.  Laborno,  onr  intorpn^ter,  and  myself,  some  boxes  of  soap 
were  stowed  away.  This  being  eonstantly  worked  about 
the  floor  under  water,  raised  one  of  tlic  most  magnilieent 
lathers  ever  witnessed,  wliieh  ran  through  the  scries  of  rooms, 
and  d>d  not  improve  our  possessions.  After  the  storm  had 
subsided,  we  opened  thc^  boxes,  to  find  bars  of  soap  of  about 
eijihteen  inches  in  leiiiifth  reduced  to  the  dimensions  of 
sticks  of  seal  in  <j;- wax. 

Jt  became  al)solutely  necessary  to  rig  up  something  in 
place  of  our  lost  funnel,  or  "smoke-stack,"  as  it  is  invari- 
abl}'  called  by  Americans.  At  length  Mr.  Covert,  our  chief 
engineer,  hit  upon  a  device.  He  caused  his  men  to  knock 
out  one  end  of  a  square  water-tank,  and,  with  some  extra 
sheet-iron,  made  a  chimney  about  ten  feet  high,  which  gave 
sufficient  draught  to  tlie  furnaces.  Covert's  "patent"  was 
a  great  success,  and  created  some  little  notice  on  our  ar- 
rival in  San  Francisco,  which  took  place  on  the  30th  No- 
vember. 

Thus  ended  the  not  uneventful  voyage  of  1865,  in  which 
we  had  gone  over  10,000  miles  of  ocean  travel,  and  we 
were  not  sorry  to  reach  our  head-quarters  in  the  "  Bay 
City,"  and  have  once  more  a  spell  of  civilized  life. 


:s 


m 


ii 


iji 


132 


W.    U.    TELEGliATH    EXPEDITION. 


if 

m 
I 

li 


i:f 


CHAPTER  X. 

VOYAGE   IN   THE  NORTH   PACIFIC. 

ISCO. 

Organization  of  the  Expedition. — Thirsty  medical  Man. — Our  Fleet, — 
Voyaf^e. —  Petroj)aulovski  again. —  The  Russian  Corvette. —  Russian 
Wedding, —  Heat. —  International  Picnic. —  Voyage  north. —  Behring's 
Voyages. —  Shipwreck. —  Death  of  Behring. —  Gulf  of  Anadyr. —  The 
'•  -.v  ndering  Tchuktchis." 

T^.K  winter  of  1865-6  was  spent  by  Colonel  Bulkley  and 
his  f;t.iff  in  San  Francisco,  and  tbeir  time  was  fully  occu- 
pied in  organizing  the  parties  for  the  following  season.  A 
large  number  of  laborers  were  engaged,  and  these,  with  as- 
sistant'surgeons,*  quartermasters,  and  foremen,  brought  our 
expedition  up  to  a  formidable  size ;  not  less  than  500 
"  white  men,"  besides  bands  of  Cossacks  in  Eastern  Siberia, 
Chinamen  in  British  Columbia,  and  Indians  everywhere, 

*  One  of  these  individuals  soon  after  his  engagement  showed  a  decided 
leaning  toward  stimulating  fluids,  and,  having  drunk  up  his  salary,  was  at 
his  wit's  cinl  to  know  how  to  keep  up  the  supply.  In  each  of  our  com- 
pany's medioino-chests  there  were  a  few  bottles  of  wine  and  brandy,  intend- 
ed exclusively  for  medicinal  purposes.  These  our  doctor,  in  the  discliarge 
of  his  arduous  duties,  soon  discovered  and  finished,  but — like  Oliver — want- 
ed more.  Our  hero  of  the  bottle  next  ferreted  out  a  small  can  of  alcohol, 
which  slightly — very  slightly — diluted  with  water,  made  a  drinkable  mix- 
ture, and  enabled  him  to  hold  out  a  day  or  two  longer.  The  reader  may 
suppose  that  when  this  was  finished  he  was  nipped  in  his  career.  Not  a  bit 
of  it !  Were  there  not  the  ethers,  tinctures,  and  spirits  contained  in  every 
well-r.gii  lated  chest  ?  Bottle  after  bottle,  phial  after  phial  of  sjiirits  of  lav- 
ender, peppermint,  and  sweet  nitre  followed  each  t)ther  to  the  same  goal. 
There  was  still  the  cam))hor  and  tincture  of  myrrh,  rhubarb,  and  aloes  left, 
l)ut  not  for  long  ;  and  when  there  was  nothing  remaining  but  the  laudanum, 
that  also  went  the  same  way.  About  tliis  period  his  weaknesses  were  dis- 
covered, and  he  was  discharged  from  the  service. 


n 


Ouu  1'leet — The  Voyage. 


133 


were  employed  in  building  telegraph,  exploring  the  route, 
or  tninsportiiig  goods,  during  the  season  of  18G0  and  fol- 
lowing winter. 

Our  fleet  alone  made  a  perceptible  difference  at  the 
wharves  of  San  Francisco.  We  had  seven  sea-going  vessels, 
besides  smaller  craft;  the  steamer  "  Wright"  was  refitted, 
a  clipper,  the  "  Nightingale,"*  purchased,  and  one  large  and 
two  small  river  steamers  built  specially  for  our  service. 
We  had  five  barks — several  of  them  excellent  vessels. 

During  the  winter,  a  commissioner  from  the  Russian 
Imperial  Government,  M.  Paul  Anasoff,  and  Mr.  Knox,  a 
well-known  "  correspondent"  of  the  leading  New  York  pa- 
pers, arrived  in  San  Francisco.  Both  of  these  gentlemen 
accompanied  us  on  our  second  voyage. 

On  the  23d  June,  1866,  we  left  California,  and,  after  an 
uneventful  trip,  made  Petropaulovski  once  more.  Our 
voyage  occupied  us  thirty-one  days,  thg  weather  being  per- 
fect for  the  whole  time,  and  the  ocean  unmistakably  "  Pa- 
(ufic."  Our  little  steamer,  now  fitted  up  in  the  best  style, 
and  carrying  heavier  spars  and  more  sail,  was  almost  equal 
in  accommodation  and  appearance  to  a  steam-yacht,  and 
our  trip,  taking  into  consideration  the  pleasant  company  on 
board,  was  simply  n  holiday  excursion — the  very  antithesis 
of  the  return  voyage  in  1865.  On  the  25tli  July  we  ar- 
rived in  Petropaulovski  Harbor,  and  found  a  Russian  cor- 
vette, the  "  Variag,"  awaiting  our  arrival.  She  was  a  fine 
steam-vessel  of  2156  tons,  and  her  commander.  Captain 
Lund,  immediately  reported,  in  accordance  with  his  instruc- 
tions, to  Colonel  Bulkley,  our  engineer-in-chief. 

The  day  of  our  arrival  had  been  fixed  for  the  celebration 

*  The  "  Nightingalo's  "  history  had  hocn  nn  pvcntfiil  one.     Built  at  first 

:is  a  model  clipper  intended  for  exhibition  in  Loudon  in  IHf)],  she  had  been 

for  a  long  period  used  as  a  slav.r,  then  ca])tured  by  the  U.  S.  Government, 

and  employed  as  a  blockading  vessel  during  the  war,  and  was  now  the 

'  flag-ship"  of  our  expedition. 


.  li 


m 


134 


Russian  Weddings. 


K' 


of  two  Russian  weddings,  and  a  general  invitation  was  at 
once  sent  on  board.  Tiie  ceremony  commenced  at  5  p.m. 
in  the  old  Greek  Church,  and  was  rather  long  and  fatiguing. 
The  congregation  stood :  in  fact,  there  was  no  seats  in  the 
church.  It  is  the  custom  for  the  bride  and  bridegroom  to 
be  crowned.  In  this  case  the  brides  wore  elaborate  head- 
dresses, and  considerate  male  friends — the  "  best  men  "  of 
the  occasion  —  held  the  crowns  for  three-quarters  of  an 
hour  a  few  inches  above  the  ladies'  heads.  I  imagine  they 
were  rejoiced  when  the  pairs  were  satisfactorily  spliced ;  I 
know  that  toe  were,  for  wc  were  in  tight  uniforms,  ex- 
tremely gorgeous,  and  equally  uncomfortable. 

It  is  the  fashion  apparently — when  the  persons,  as  in 
this  case,  are  in  the  lower  walks  of  life — to  ask  some  more 
wealthy  individual  to  be  master  of  the  ceremonies,  and  it  is 
understood  that  he  stands  all  the  expenses !  On  this  occa- 
sion the  victim  was  M.  Phillipeus,  a  merchant,  who  brings 
his  vessels  annually  from  Hong-kong  to  Kamchatka,  and 
the  neighboring  coasts.*  He  accepted  the  burden  willingly, 
and  gave  a  very  liberal  entertainment  to  the  whole  town, 
the  officers  of  the  "  Variag,"  ourselves,  and  the  captains  of 
several  small  vessels  lying  there.  So  many  were  invii:ed 
that  no  one  house  was  large  enough  for  the  purpose.  The 
party  was  therefore  divided,  and  the  guests  occupied  two 
buildings,  one  on  either  side  of  the  main  street.  Tho  band 
of  the  "  Variag  "  played  outside,  and  a  messenger  w\is  kept 
constantly  running  between  the  two  houses  to  keep  the 
merry  party  in  either  informed  of  the  nature  of  the  toasts. 
Such  rousing  cheers  and  "  tigers  "  had  never  been  heard 
before  in  that  usually  sleepy,  half-dead  town. 

After  the  feast  we  adjourned,  by  invitation,  to  the  house 


*  M.  Phillipeus  took  his  more  valuable  furs,  etc.,  annually  to  St.  Peters- 
burp,  via  the  Amoor  and  Siberia,  returning  thence  to  Hong-kong,  via  Suez. 
He  had  made  this  lengthened  journey  five  times  at  the  date  of  our  visit. 


International  Picnic. 


185 


of  the  captain  of  tli(3  port,  where  dancing  was  kept  up  witli 
great  vigor  till  the  small  hours  next  morning.  The  brides 
had  to  dance  with  every  one  present,  and  it  was  amusing 
to  see  them  change  from  one  gentleman  to  another:  during 
the  time  occupied  by  one  waltz  they  had  ten  or  a  dozen 
partners.  Petropaulovski  had  not  nearly  ladies  enough  for 
the  invited  males,  and,  in  consequence,  a  number  of  very 
clean  and  sedate  Kamchatdale  peasant-women  were  asked 
for  the  occasion.  Our  efforts  at  conversation  with  the  latter 
were  ludicrous  and  extremely  unsatisfactory  ;  but  with  our 
Russian  friends  of  the  "  Variag"  we  got  along  capitally, 
and  found  them  splendid  fellows."*  The  following  day  the 
brides  and  their  relations  paid  return  complimentary  visits. 

We  found  Petropaulovski  in  its  brief  summer  garb ; 
wild  flowers,  coarse  grass,  and  musquitoes  all  abundant. 
The  thermometer  stood  at  80°  in  the  shade,  and  the  writer 
found  himself  nodding  over  his  out  door  sketching,  which 
was  perhaps  partly  due  to  ih  ■  constant  round  of  festivities. 
Three  months  of  Russian  hospitality  would  kill  most  men ; 
and  the  fortnight  spent  on  this  visit  was  the  hardest  work 
I  have  ever  done  in  my  life — done,  too,  at  a  time  when  the 
summer  heat  was  intense,  and  when  every  one  who  could 
got  into  silk,  duck,  or  alpaca  clothing — like  that  worn  in 
tropical  countries.  Our  preconceived  ideas  of  Kamchatka 
were  entirely  upset. 

I  shall  never  forget  an  "  international  "  picnic  held  dur- 
ing our  stay,  in  which  the  representatives  of  six  or  eight 
countries  took  part.     There  were  European  and  Asiatic 

*  These  gentlemen  all  snoke,  more  or  less  fluently,  French  and  English, 
or  rather  American.  The  reader  is  doubtless  aware  that  at  the  termination 
of  the  Crimean  War,  French — once  the  court  language  in  Russia — got  out 
of  favor  there;  but  he  may  not  know  that  the  America7i  tongue  was  ordered 
to  be  taught  in  pface  of  English  at  the  universities  and  schools — a  distinction 
without  a  difference.  So,  at  least,  I  was  informed  by  an  intelligent  Russian 
officer. 


!i  I  i 


1 1 

i     I 

I 

'  Ijill 


'11 


136 


Voyage  North. 


Russians — from  the  Finlander  to  the  Kainchatdale ;  Ameri- 
cans, Northerners  and  Southerners;  Englishmen,  Freneh- 
men,  Germans,  and  an  Itah'an. 

Chatting  in  a  babel  tongue,  we  walked  leisurely  by  an 
upland  path,  skirting  beautiful  Avatcha  Bay,  till  we  found 
a  grassy  opening,  pleasantly  shaded,  where  the  servants 
and  sailors  were  beginning  to  unpack  the  hampers.  The 
weather  was  perfect ;  there  was  scarcely  a  ripple  on  the 
blue  water  below  us ;  flowers  made  the  air  fragrant ;  and 
but  for  an  ocdasional  musquito,  we  should  have  forgotten 
we  were  on  earth  at  all !  And  then — bliss  of  blisses ! — 
we  not  merely  raised  a  cloud  of  balmy  smoke,  but  were 
I'ncouraged  therein  by  the  sanction  of  our  lady  friends, 
some  of  whom  joined  us.  At  all  their  entertainments,  or 
at  quieter  family  parties,  cigars  and  cigarettes  were  always 
served  with  the  tea  and  coffee,  and  the  ladies  retained  their 
seats  with  us.  Would  it  were  so  in  our  own  otherwise — 
more  or  less — happy  land !  When  we  were  tired  of  games 
— one  of  them  a  Eussian  version  of  "  hunt  the  slipper  " — 
and  toasts  and  songs,  an  alfresco  repast  was  served,  and  we 
did  not  leave  the  place  till  long  after  twinkling  stars  studded 
the  heavens. 

It  would  be  a  serious  undertaking  to  acknowledge  duly 
all  the  kindness  lavished  upon  us  by  the  Eussians  and 
foreign  residents.  Messrs.  Pflueger,  Peirce,  and  Hunter,  of 
the  German  and  American  houses,  did  every  thing  to  make 
our  stay  agreeable. 

Messrs.  An,.soff  and  Knox  now  left  us,  and  were  con- 
veyed to  various  points  on  the  Ochotsk  Sea  on  board  the 
''  Variag,"  and  eventually  went  to  Nicolaiefski,  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Amoor.  From  thence  Mr.  Knox  made  the 
trip,  via  Siberia,  to  St.  Petersburg. 

We  left  Petropaulovski  on  the  6th  of  August,  and  then 
steamed  up  the  coast,  keeping  in  sight  of  land  for  several 


W  I 


EiVEK  Kamchatka 


13; 


ilMl! 


•  laj'^s.  Not  merely  is  it  a  grand  and  rugged  coast-line,  but 
the  ever-recurring  volcanic  peaks  arc  a  great  source  of 
beauty  and  interest. 

Many  of  these  mountains  appeared  at  this  season  to  be 
very  bare  of  snow.  The  volcano  of  Koriatski — which  as 
we  had  seen  it,  in  the  late  autumn-time  of  the  previous 
year,  was  one  vast  sheet  of  snow — now  showed  immense 
sterile  rocky  sides. 

On  the  8th  August  we  passed  the  promotory  which 
terminates  in  the  two  capes  Kamchatka  and  Stolbovoy.  It 
had  the  appearance  of  two  islands  detached  from  the  main- 
land, the  intervening  country  being  low.  This — a  circum- 
stance to  be  constantly  observed  on  all  coasts — was  perhaps 
.■specially  noticeable  on  this.  The  Island  of  St.  Lawrence 
in  Behring  Sea,  which  I  have  passed  twice,  was  a  very 
prominent  example.  It  has  always  appeared  to  me  that 
the  apparent  gradual  rise  of  a  coast,  seen  from  the  sea  as 
you  approach  it,  affords  a  far  better  proof  of  the  rotundity 
of  the  earth  than  the  illustration  usually  employed,  that  of 
a  ship,  which  you  are  supposed  to  see  by  installments,  from 
the  main -royal  sail  (if  not  from  the  "sky-scraper"  or 
''  moon-raker  ")  to  the  hull.  The  fact  is  that  the  royal  and 
top-gallant  sails  of  a  vessel  on  the  utmost  verge  of  the  hori- 
zon may  be,  in  certain  lights,  barely  distinguishable,  while 
the  dark  outline  of  an  irregular  and  rock-bound  coast  can 
be  seen  by  any  one.  First,  may  be,  appears  a  mountain - 
peak  towering  in  solitary  grandeur  above  the  coast-line, 
and  often  far  behind  it,  then  the  highlands  and  hills,  then 
the  cliffs  and  lowlands,  and,  lastly,  the  flats  and  beaches. 

Immediately  by  Cape  Kamchatka  the  river  of  the  same 
name  empties  into  Behring  Sea. 

It  was  from  this  river  that  Behring  sailed  on  his  first 
voyages,  and  his  name  will  ever  be  associated  with  the 
coast.     He  deserves  to  rank  among  the  great  adventurers 


f ,  • 


iii 


138 


Beiiring's  Voyages. 


i 


■■■.  'li 


|:i  ,  ■ 


of  tlio  last  century,  yet  his  voyages  are  little  known.  Tie 
was  a  Dane,  drawn  into  the  Russian  service  by  the  fiinic 
of  Peter  the  Great,  and  bis  expeditions  l^ad  been  directly 
organized  by  that  sagacious  monarch.  Peter  did  not,  how- 
ever, live  to  carry  them  out.  Their  principal  object  was 
to  find  out  whether  Asia  and  America  were  one,  or  whethei' 
any  part  of  their  coasts  were  contiguous.  Miiller,  the  his- 
torian of  Behring's  life,  who  accompanied  him  07i  Icmd,  but 
does  not  appear  to  have  made  any  sea-voyages  with  him 
whatever,  says,  "  The  Empress  Catherine,  as  she  endeavor- 
ed in  all  points  to  execute  most  precisely  the  plans  of  her 
deceased  husband,  in  a  manner  began  her  reign  with  an 
order  for  the  expedition  to  Kamtschatka."  Vitus  Behring 
was  to  be  commander,  and  to  be  assisted  by  two  lieuten- 
ants, Martin  Spanberg  and  Alexei  Tschirikoff.  Tb^  left 
St.  Petersburg  on  the  5th  of  February,  1725,  and  proceeded 
to  the  Ochotsk  Sea,  via  Siberia.  It  gives  some  idea  of  the 
difficult  nature  of  the  overland  route  in  those  days  to  find 
that  it  occupied  them  over  two  years  to  transport  their 
outfit  to  Ochotsk.  From  thence,  after  a  vessel  had  been 
specially  built  for  them,  they  c  ossed  to  Bolcheretsk  in 
Kamchatka,  and  the  following  winter  transported  their 
provisions  and  naval  stores  to  the  town  of  Nishni  (New), 
Kamchatka.  "  On  the  4th  of  April,  1728,"  says  Miiller, 
"  a  boat  was  put  upon  the  stocks,  like  the  packet-boats 
used  in  the  Baltick ;  and  on  the  10th  of  July  was  launch- 
ed, and  named  the  boat  Gahriel.^^  On  the  20tb  of  the  same 
montli  they  went  to  sea.  Behring  followed  the  E.  coast  of 
Kamchatka  and  Siberia,  and  discovered  the  Island  of  St. 
Lftwrence.  He  reached  as  far  north  as  lat.  67°  18',  and 
then  found  the  coast  trend  to  the  west,  whereon  he  seems 
to  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  he  had  reached  the  ex- 
tremity of  Asia,  and  that  there  was  no  connection  between 
the  continents.     In  the  main  point,  of  course,  he  was  right ; 


Beiiring's  Second  P^xtedition. 


131) 


but  he  was  totally  wrong  iu  his  conclusion  as  to  the  Asiatic 
coast  conimciicing  its  westward  course  from  the  p(jint 
reached  by  him.  lie  returned  to  the  Kamchatka  liiver 
without  serious  injury  to  his  vessel.  The  second  voyage 
of  his  first  expedition  calls  for  little  remark,  as  he  was  un- 
able, from  contrary  winds,  to  carry  out  his  plans,  which 
were  virtually  to  attempt  the  discovery  of  the  Pacific 
shores  of  America.  He  eventually  sailed  round  the  south 
promontory  of  Kamchatka  and  returned  by  Ochotsk  to  St. 
Petersburg. 

But  it  is  to  the  second  expedition  of  Behring  that  we 
must  look  for  adventure  and  interest.  He,  with  his  two 
faithful  lieutenants,  proposed  it ;  and  they  were  all  pro- 
moted, a  number  of  naval  lieutenants  and  midshipmen  being 
ordered  to  join  them.  Miiller  says,  "  The  design  of  the  first 
voyage  was  not  brought  on  tLe  carpet  again  upon  this  oc- 
casion, since  it  was  looked  upon  as  completed ;  but  instead 
of  t  jat,  orders  were  given  to  make  voyages,  as  well  eastward 
to  the  continent  of  America  as  southward  to  Japan,  and  to 
discover  if  possible,  at  the  same  time,  through  the  frozen 
sea  the  north  passage,  which  had  been  so  frequently  attempt- 
ed by  the  English  and  Dutch.  The  Senate,  the  Admiralty 
Office,  and  the  Academy  of  Sciences  all  took  their  parts  to 
complete  this  important  undertaking."  Several  scientific 
professors  volunteered  to  accompany  Behring  (John  George 
Gmelin,  Lewis  de  Lisle  de  la  Croy^re,  j.  Muller,  and  Steller, 
a  student),  and  were  nominated  for  the  purpose.  Two  of 
these  individuals  never  went  to  sea,  but  confined  themselves- 
to  various  researches  in  Siberia.  One  of  Behring's  subordi- 
nates— Spanberg — made  at  this  time  a  voyage  from  Ocholsk 
to  Japan ;  but  it  is  aside  from  the  narrative  of  Behring's 
life. 

After  much  trouble  in  transporting  their  goods  and  build- 
ing ships,  they  at  last,  on  the  ith  of  July,  1741,  went  to  sea. 


Ih 


t    ii 


ll\ 


!    t 


ti 


,  ^!l!l 


!.! 


;   ,   t 


lU) 


I"'atk  yw   Ui;iiiMN<i    ANH    MIS   Ciniw 


St';  <  ■ 


ll\(Miporl  olMt^pMrliivo  Immmj;;  ihin  lime  rclntpaulovski.     ()ii 
the  'J(Mli  of  \\\v  sMiiu>  iiionlli  llic  vi'ssoIm  of  tlirir  liltic  llc(>l 
ool  M>|>;iriit«Hl  ilinin,i>;i  storm,  Jiml  Ci\c\\  li.-ul  lo  prosecute  1  lie 
vovMiM'  .'\Ioiu\      'rii(>v  discovered  m.'iiiy  i>l'  the  Aleiiliiui  niid 
other  islands  in\'n»M'  the  Amerieim  const,  and  h:id  iiumv  Jid 
ViMitinw^  with  the  n;itiv(\s.      At  hMiL!;lh  tlu' seuivy  mnde  its 
Mpp(Mv;mce  jimvMiiv  them,;nid  l^ehrmu,  turned  hiick  to  try  iind 
make  th»^  ci>Mst  ol'  Kamchalka.     The  sickness  inci'cased,  and 
so  \ve;d<ened  the  crew  that  "  two  sailois  wlio  used  t,o  1h«  al 
ilie  rudder  wci"(>  ohh^'cd  to  l»(>   k'd    in   hy    two  oth(U'S  who 
could  hardly  walk.      And  whei\  one  eouhl  sit,  and  stcMT  no 
lonpM',  another  in  lillh^  IxMtcM' coiuhtion  sunj)lied  iiis  place. 
M.'iny  sails  they  dui'st  wol  hoist,  hecausc  there  was  nol)ody 
tv>  lower  them  in  caseornccd."     At  last  land  a.pj)earcd,  and 
a  council  was  held;  they  diMcrmincd  \o  sail  townrtl  it,  and 
!^cttini;ncar  it,  th(\v  dropped  anchor.      A  violenti  st.orm  rosi*, 
and  the  ship  was  driven  on  the  rocks,  wdiich  she  touclunl; 
tliov  cast  their  second  anchor;   it«  cable  was  torn  in  pieces 
before  the  anchor  took  irrouiul.     A  great  sea  pitched  then) 
clean  over  the  rocks,  behind  which,  liowcver,  they  found 
<]uietcr  water.  i\ud  the  crew  having  rested,  at  last  jiut  tlicir 
In^at  ovcrboank  and  some  of  them  went  ashore.     There  was 
but  little  drift-wood,  and  no  trees  on  tlic  island  ;  b(Mico  they 
v'amc  to  the  determination  to  roof  over  some  small  ravines 
they  found  near  the  beach.     On  the  "8th  of  November  a 
bci^innino-  was  made  to  land  the  sick,  but  some  died  as  soon 
as  ihcy  were  brought  fre»m  between  decks  in  the  open  air, 
<>thers  duriusr  the  lime  tlicv  whm'c  on  the  deck,  some  in  the 
boat,  and  many  more  as  soon  as  they  were  brought  on 
shore."' 

On  the  9th  of  November,  tlic  commander,  Bchring — him- 
self prostrated  by  vscurvy- — was  brought  ashore  on  n  hand- 
barrow,  and  a  month  later  died  on  this  island,  which  now, 
in  consequence,  bears  his  name.     "lie  may  have  been  said 


(i  I    l,K    <»K     A  iN  A  l»^   |{ 


II 


f{) !)('  buried  linlf  iilivf,  Cor  ilic  smikI  r(»Iliii(^  down  ('(»Fil.iiiiiul- 
\y  IVoiii  llie  sifli' ol' I  lie  dilcli  in  vvlii«'li  lir.  I;iy,  jumI  covj^riii^' 
his  I'rcl,  III'  ill,  Inst  would  not  Hiijlrr  it.  to  \)r  rrrnovcd,  juid 
suid  lli.'il,  lie  fell-  Honin  w.'iriiil.li  IVotn  it,  vvliidi  olJicrwiHe  lie 
HJiould  vv.'Mil,  in  llie  n'niMiiiini.  pjirls  of  Ins  hody  ;  nrid  tlins 
tlic  siind  incrc'iMcd  to  liis  Ix'lly,  ho  tliut,  ,'iri<'r  liiK  dcccjiK*- iImv 
were  ol»Ii«4<'d  to  scrfipd  liini  ont  of  tljo  ground  in  order  lo 
inter  liim  in  u  j)?()|)er  niiuiner." 

'IMieir  ve.sHel,  lyin^^  nn^niarded,  w.-ih  wrecked  in  u.  Kt(»rrri, 
,'ui(l  tlie  liirf^<'r  p.'irt  of  their  prfivisionH  lost.  'I'liey  sidmisted 
for  Ji,  loiif^  tifne  on  i\r',i(\  wlinl(!H  tluit  luid  liecin  diiven  ;isliore. 
At  Inst,  in  tin;  spring,  tliey  eunu;  to  tiM!  cf)n(!liisioii  to  try  and 
brciuk  np  tin;  wreck  Jind  eonstrnct  u  snialler  vess(d  I'roni  its 
roin.'iins,  wliieli  wus  done,  ;uid  tliey  left  the  island.  At  last, 
to  their  ^rent  joy,  they  reaeJn^d  tin;  eoast  oC  K;i,rneh;itkn. 
'V\\v,  previous  antuirui,  'IVchirikon',  the  eorn[)anion  of  I'ehr- 
ing,  had  arrived  at  IV-.tropanlovski,  witli  tlu;  loss  o('tw<rity- 
(Uk;  ni(>n  by  scurvy,  and  thu  l^rofessor  de  I,'i,  Oroy^re,  who 
had  lingered  to  tho  end  of  tho  vov'fige,  died  bcfort;  they  could 
get  luni  a.sbore.* 

Late  in  the  evening  of  the  l'»th  August  wo  reacfiod  the 
Gulf  of  Anadyr  (pronounced  yl//f7/vA7',  and  not  "Annie 
dear,"  as  sonic  of  our  men  persisted  in  calling  it),  and  an- 
chored till  daylight  next  morning.  'V\m  hind  round  it  was 
low,  and,  in  spite  of  the  heat  of  the  weather,  a  good  deal  of 
ice  and  snow  retnaincul  })acked  on  the  beacli.  We  st(;anied 
slowly  up  the  gulf,  and  very  soon  some  'i\;liuktclii  natives 
came  oft',  and  convinced  us  that  they  were  men  and  breth- 
ren by  asking  for  "  lum  "  (rum)  and  "  tabak."  On  approach- 
ing the  entrance  to  Anadyr  IJay  th(;re  is  a  Ycry  curious  fsl- 


*! 


HI 


*  In  tlu!  above  nfirrntivc  I  have  followed  Miillcr  exclusively.  A  .second, 
iind  not  very  difl'crent  nccoiint,  was  given  to  the  world  in  the  journal  of  Stel- 
lor,  which  is  to  he  found,  translated  in  an  ahhreviated  form,  in  the  fonrt/i 
edition  of  Coxe's  "  Kiissian  Discoveries," 


U2 


A   'Trji  r  K  I  tin    \  1 1  i,  vi;  k 


Imm»I.  1o  \vI\)»'I\  \v<»  I'jivc  lli(>  i»;im(M»r  "  S.'Ui'opliniiMM,"  IVum  m 
•iU)>p«>so,l  )H>siMul»lMm'»'.  'Tho  rnlunn'o  t<»  the  lniy  ih  iiIjouI 
;»  mil»*  '.\\\\\  a  hMll'\vi<lo  Ml  ihc  (mirowrsl  |MMnl. 


W 


i\\\\\'  1«>  !nu'l\or  olV  M  'l\'luiK(»'lii  viIIm}M'  MiinilMi    I 


<t 


ih.il  m  riovcr  H:t\  brlortMlrMonlxMl.  ( )ii  slioit' lni-,<',<«  IhmiIm 
■"l  MoinoslioMtoM  roindtM-r  \v»m«>  pcMCfriillv  f»rMx,iiif\.  Il  immmI 
n.M    bo   s1m1«n1   lli;U    wo    uniutMliMl»'lv    liMifMimMl    Hn    Home. 


r 


so 


ir^«'  V'l 


Mislilulo  llh>  \vo!»lli»  ol'llu'  "  WMiuloniiu.  'l\'l\iiKlrlii^ 


ino  oTihom  own  nuniv  ihonsinxis.  inul  (Muplov  llicir  ponr 


or  *'o\\nlr\  nuM>  m 


\\VVk\ 


>ng  llirin. 


'I'l> 


.lor  1 


\o\  WMtmor  irnm  |Mn.O( 


lo  plnoo  wilh  ihoiv  vloor,  niul  j)i;iv  ho  rof'jinloil  jvh  AiHM.ii*  |t!i 


ln;uvhs. 


UiMI      K  X  I'K  III  I  IMN      I  M      I  UK     /\  N  A  l>  I   |(  II.; 


(MIAI"I'KI(   XI. 
rini;  anauvh  iuvku  ani»  I'l.nvKit  iiav,  kamtk.hn  MriiKHfA. 

rrliiiklt'lil  nilli   l.clli-i  III'  ItiTiiiiitiM-IDlMlidii.       Itmil   l'',x|)<^<litiiiii  tn  tin-  Kivr>i 
Our  l<,H|iliiii'iH.     'I'lii-ii   l',<<|M«ri('ii(('H.     Tint  Aimilyr  Kivcr,     'I  cluiktclij 
'I'liii'Vi'H.      rinvi'i  liny.      Null  kiiiii  Muniri.      AilvorHMJiiK  in  Milii  ini' KtriiitM 
Ti'li'KKilili  Slntimi  nirli'il       I'litiiniiiK  wiili  ii  Vvimc.nhiv,.      Wliiiliii^ 
NiHtiiii  SiMiinl.      Alinkii.      hciitli  nl' Miijui  K'niiiriill., 

()nk  nl'  llic  TcliiiklcJiiH  iriitncdintcly  on  it\ir  jutivmI  Iiuk- 
Inicil  nil  IkhiiiI  willi  a  Icllcr,  ll,  wjih  I'mm  Mr.  M'(  Jniu,  tlin 
nlliciM'  in  (',lmi'i!;(H»ri,lMH'X|tlnnil,iniiH(it.  I,lui  A  imdyi,  und  hUiU\i\ 

l.liuM  I,1m',  yi'.u 


lilt     II,  lnj^i'rr  li.'ir  iinvrr  wjilkcil  Mmi  <!(irl,h 


ticiniui  wlin  (Iimiv<M(mI  Mki  r|»iHl.lr,  und  cjiiitiniM^d  im  n^a\\i\H\ 
liiiii.      Il(^  l)nr(«  l,li()  nipliniiiniiH  l.ilJc,  of  "  ( )  »',f>cj<-c,ni,y." 

On  |,1m^  IThIi  a  boat,  <'X|)cdil,inii  t-o  Uio  »fi»*utJ)  of  the-  Arifi 
dyr  Ifivcr  vv.'ih  oi|^!i,ni/,(!d,  niid   I  ol>t,ain(id  f)C',rrriiHHiori  to  ac- 


("ompitiiy  it 


Tl 


U)  H(M',n 


rid  rnaic.  of  IJmi  HU'UUtcr,  Mr,  lijihorrif 


and  inyscir,  wil.li  \]\rvv,  Hailorn,  Inrrrird  tin'.  [)ariy.  Wo  had 
nntiiiiif^  l.o  guide,  iih  l)iii  a  Hkctrli  cJiart,,  cf>riHtruct<;d  tho  pn;- 
ondiiifz;  year  l)y  t,wo  of  our  cfiplJiiriH,  and  tlicro  \h  little;  n;lifj- 
l)l«i  inlnrniation  nn  .'Uiy  part  of  tlic country.  On  ihd  c.nHU-.ru 
sido  ol'  tlid  hay,  Mount  l)ionyHiuH,  Ji,  mountain  of  no  t/n;at 
iu>iglit,  in  tli(;  only  l.'indrnark  of  tlic,  district.  W<;  Ht/;on;d 
duo  west  from  it.  'V\ir.  wc^atlior  was  fof^gy  and  Hhowcry, 
but  a  favoring  brcczo  iiclpod  \m<m,  an(]  w(!  proccodod  stead- 
ily for  s(>v(iral  liours,  wluui  wa  noticed  an  opening  in  the 
hind  a  little  to  the  south  of  west,  and  immediately  put  our 
boat's  head  for  it.  Soon  we  found  the  bay  getting  verv 
shoal,  so  much  so  that  in  sailing  we  left  a  "  tail "  of  discol- 


ll 


■5    ■;< 


Ill 


•'Cami'   M'C.'kka." 


n 


h  ' 


oihmI  water  behind  us,  from  constantly  toucliin.u;  bottom  on 
sand-bars.  Somiitinios  wc  stuck,  and  liad  to  lower  the  Kail 
and  get  out  in  the  water  to  lielp  our  boat  oil".  \V(;  tiicn  had 
to  tack  and  keep  oil',  and  by  this  we  lost  much  time.  In 
tlu;  c^venini^'  we  had  to  give;  up  ibr  the  time  being,  and  ran 
in  to  a  spitof  land  to  the  south  of  the  ()|)ening.  It  was  rain- 
ing hard,  and  we  found  it  rather  dillicult  to  raise  a  lire  from 
the  scanty  underbrush  and  drift-wood.  Wc  at  length  suc- 
ceeded, and  the  sailors  rigged  up  a  shelter-tent  from  the 
oars,  mast,  and  sail.  But  for  the  rain  the  musquitoes  would 
have  becm  out  in  full  force,  for  even  as  it  was  they  gave  us 
very  decided  intimations  of  their  existt^ncc. 

Inside  the  spit  there  appeared  to  be  a  second  briy,  and 
from  the  number  of  "  snags"  and  small  trees  stuck  on  the 
sand-bi.rs,  it  was  evident  that  a  river  entered  there.  Karly 
the  nex;  inorning  we  again  started.  Labornii's  recollections 
of  a  trip  the  preceding  year  made  him  decide,  as  it  proved 
rightly,  that  the  Anadyr  must  be  further  to  the  west.  About 
9  A.M.  wc  found  the  right  opiMiing,  and  a  little  later  reached 
**  Camp  M'Crea,"  at  the  mouth  of  the  river. 

The  journey  had  been  undertaken  in  order  to  leave  a 
notice  for  the  explorers  there,  but  we  did  not  expect  to  meet 
any  of  them,  so  that  on  entering  their  log-house  we  were 
much  surprised  to  find  four  of  our  old  friends.  They  bad 
been  subsisting  for  about  two  months  on  an  exclusive  diet 
of  salmon,  which  fish  is  abundant  in  the  river.  They  had 
almost  given  up  expecting  to  see  any  of  the  expedition  ;  we, 
on  the  other  hand,  believed  them  to  be  at  the  Ochotsk  Sea. 
Three  of  these  gentlemen,  M'Crea,  Harder,  and  Smith,  be- 
longed to  this  section,  but  my  astonishment  was  great  to  find 
with  them  Mr.  Bush,  who  had  made  the  entire  journey 
from  the  Amoor  Eiver  to  the  mouth  of  the  Anadyr  the  pre- 
ceding winter.  His  trip  of  at  least  2500  miles  deserves  to 
rank  as  the  most  remark;  ble  of  the  many  undertaken  b\' 


I"1X  I'KKI  KNOKS    OK    OTIi     Is  X  I' I.O  UK  liS  , 


I4r> 


avc  51 
meet 
were 
y  had 

diet 

had 
,  we, 

Sea. 
11,  be- 

find 
lirney 

pre- 
res  to 
m  bv 


iiKunbers  of  our  cxjuMlition.  Nearly  the  first  thiii;^  our 
friiMids  asked  was,  "Have  you  brou^dit  any  grub?"  and  we 
soon  satislic'(l  tliern  on  the  point  by  fi'tuliing  np  a  supply  of 
bread,  tea,  and  salt  meat  from  the  boat,  and  spreading  an 
extempore  luneh.  They  had  g(H  lu^artlly  s'wk  of  "  ton- 
joitr.s"  salmon,  and  infinitely  preferred  salt  pork  ! 

As  we  all  very  naturally  wished  to  reach  the  steamer 
before  night,  we  stopped  but  an  hour  or  so  and  then  start- 
ed back,  leaving  Harder,  by  his  own  agreeinent,  to  keep 
cam[).  We  rowed  the  entire  distance,  tliirty  miles,  while 
it  rained  incessantly ;  but  wc  made  the  time  pass  very 
quickly  in  a  most  animated  and  disjointed  conversation. 
Our  friends  had  been  absent  a  year  from  civilization,  and 
we  were  curious  in  regard  to  their  travels;  and  as  each 
asked  for  what  came  uppermost,  our  spaHino(bc  discussion 
would  have  puzzled  a  stranger.  Now  it  was  dog-sleighing, 
or  reindeer  riding;  now  the  pohcy  of  the  President,  or  the 
last  opera;  now  the  latest  events  in  Cabfornia,  or  those  of 
the  Anadyr.  Tchuktchi,  Lamutki,  or  Koriak  lore  was 
mixed  with  inquiries  for  absent  friends,  and  nitro-glycerine 
explosions  with  Anadyr  scandah 

The  Anadyr  Kiver,  as  we  learned  from  these  gentlemen, 
is  subject  to  violent  freshets  in  the  spring;  it  then  rises 
fifteen  to  twenty  feet  above  its  usual  level,  flooding  the 
country  in  all  directions.  It  is  navigable  for  300  miles,  and 
has  no  rapids  of  importance  in  that  distance.  A  consider- 
able amount  of  light  timber  was  found  on  its  banks.  Our 
explorers  had  constructed  eight  log-houses,  at  intervals  of 
twelve  miles  apart,  and  we  found  them  in  a  very  tolerable 
building  at  the  mouth  of  the  river.  The  logs  for  the  latter 
had  been  rafted  down  forty  miles.  Mr.  Bush  told  me  that 
the  natives  catch  and  dry  a  quantity  of  salmon,  and  that 
deer  are  abundant.  The  latter,  crossing  the  streams  in 
herds,  are  speared  in  the  water.      The  Tchuktchis  have 

K 


146 


Native  Thieves'  Booty. 


m) 


b  i 


small  canoes  constructed  of  three  planks,  called  "  vetkas," 
which  are  used  mainly  for  this  purpose.  Geese  are  plenti- 
ful, and,  when  moulting,  are  driven  ashore  by  the  natives, 
and  knocked  on  the  head  by  others  remaining  there.  Mus- 
quitoes  are  a  great  pest  in  the  short  summer  reason.  The 
lowest  cold  experienced  by  our  friends  during  the  preced- 
ing winter  of  1865-6  was— 52°  Fahr.,  or  84°  below  freezing. 

We  were  also  informed  that  the  opening  in  the  land  mis- 
taken by  us  for  the  Anadyr  Kiver  ivas  the  mouth  of  a  large 
river  called  by  the  natives  the  "  Arnoura."  A  third  stream 
enters  Anadyr  Bay  from  the  north,  and  ihe  effect  of  so 
much  river-water  falling  into  what  would  otherwise  be  an 
arm  of  the  sea  is  to  render  it  entirely  fresh.  Our  steamer 
watered  from  the  bay  itself,  the  hose  being  simply  put  over- 
board, and  the  pumps  set  to  work  at  filling  the  tanks. 

During  Mr.  M'Crea's  absence  on  lengthened  explora- 
tions, the  natives  had  broken  into  his  hut,  c^rA  had  stolen 
a  quantity  of  powdered  arsenic  intended  "or  Lhe  preserva- 
tion of  specimens.  They  probably  mistook  it  for  sugar. 
The  result  was  never  known.  They  also  carried  off  a  I  mot- 
tle of  liniment,  supposing  it.  to  be  whisky.  It  was  com- 
posed of  turpentine,  sugar  of  lead,  etc. ;  the  native  who 
drank  it  will  never  steal  again!  One  man  was  known  to 
have  been  killed  by  it. 

On  the  16th  we  left  the  Anadyr  direct  for  Plover  Bay, 
and  here  we  met  several  of  our  vessels.  My  good  friend, 
Major  Wright,  though  but  just  risen  from  a  bed  of  sick- 
ness, had  made  a  very  successful  exploration  through  the 
barren  country  toward  Pentigu  Gulf.  The  irrepressible 
"Nau-kum,"  the  native  spoken  of  at  our  first  visit,  had  ac- 
companied him.  "  Nothing,"  said  Wright,  speaking  of  this 
trip,  "  that  the  '  white  man '  did  could  astonish  him  or  make 
him  for  an  instant  lose  his  gravity,  except  the  introduction 
of  pepper-sauce  into  his  food.     The  taste  of  this  was  a  nov- 


Plover  Bay. 


147 


kas," 
lenti- 
tives, 
Mus- 

The 
reccd- 
izing. 
i  mis- 
.  large 
stream 

of  so 

be  ail 
teamer 
t  over- 

s. 

xplora- 

[  stolen 

eserva- 
sugar. 

tfal^ot- 
,s  com- 
e  wlio 
own  to 

3r  Bay, 
friend, 
)f  sick- 
igli  the 
iressible 
Ihad  ac- 
;  of  this 
pr  make 
Iduction 
a  nov- 


elty, and  after  an  experiment  nothing  could  induce  him  to 
repeat  it.  He  says :  '  Me  sabe  good  deal,  but  me  no  sabe 
white  man  eat  fire  on  meat.'  Having  been  presented  with 
a  complete  suit  of  woolen  clothing,  he  sported  it  with  much 
dignity,  varying  his  costume  now  and  then  by  wearing  his 
drawers  about  his  neck.  His  tent  may  easily  be  found  by 
any  enterprising  traveller,  as  over  the  door  is  one  of  Heus- 
ton  and  Hastings's  signs,  while  the  door-post  is  ornamented 
with  a  poster  directing  every  body  to  go  to  Lamott's  for 
hats,  caps,  etc." 

This  was  a  fact.  The  signs  of  several  San  Francisco 
houses  were  taken  up — as  a  joke — and  left  in  various  parts 
of  the  coast,  where  some  future  traveller  may  perhaps  sec 
them.  In  this  instance  it  attracted  a  good  deal  of  notice 
from  the  whalers  who  frequent  the  bay,  itself  within  sight 
of  Behring  StraitP,  After  this,  the  enterprising  advertisers 
who  plastered  the  Pyramids  and  Palmyra  with  their  post- 
ers must  hide  their  diminished  heads. 

Colonel  Bulkley  caused  a  small  house  of  planks  to  be 
constructed  for  "  Nau-kum,"  and  made  him  many  presents. 
My  friend  Grob — a  mechanical  draughtsman  attached  to 
us,  and  a  genius  in  every  form  of  sketching — made  a  draw- 
ing, "a  dream  of  the  future."  It  represented  the  interior 
of  Nau-kum's  dwelling.  Madame,  seated  on  a  whisky  bar- 
rel, was  playing  the  piano,  Mr.  Nau-kum  engaged  in  a  gumt; 
of  billiards  in  a  further  apartment,  and  a  small  boy,  of 
blubbery  aspect,  handing  him  the  "  cock-tails  "  on  a  salver. 
The  room  was  picturesque  with  paddles,  skins,  preserved- 
meat  cans,  dogs,  and  children ;  but  civilization  was  tri- 
umphant !  I  am  sorry  that  I  can  not  include  this  sketch 
among  my  illustrations. 

My  kind  friend,  Mrs.  Scammon,  had  accompanied  her 
husband  on  this  voyage,  and  she  invited  "Nau-kum"  into 
the  cabin  to  look  at  some  pet  canaries.     Although  he  had 


148 


Ml 


Telegraph  Station  Erected, 


never  seen  sucli  birds,  he  preserved  a  gentlemanly  apatliy, 
and  would  show  no  surprise  whatever.  Some  one,  a  little 
piqued  perhaps  that  he  would  not  be  astonished,  said, 
"Why,  Nau-kum,  they  are  worth  ten  dollars  each  in  San 
Francisco!"  "Ah,"  replied* he,  shrugging  his  shoulders, 
"too  muchee!" 

We  stopped  the  larger  part  of  a  month  in  Plover  Bay, 
our  carpenters  and  laborers  being  engaged  in  the  construc- 
tion of  a  station.  When  the  flooring  and  foundations  were 
ready,  the  national  and  company's  flags  were  raised  on  a 
tall  telegraph-pole,  a  salute  fired,  and  the  health  of  Kelsey, 
the  captain  in  charge,  drunk  enthusiastically.  Fourteen 
men  were  left  with  him  for  the  winter  of  1866-7,  and  im- 
mediately commenced  the  erection  of  the  line  through  a 
most  rugged  and  difficult  country. 

In  spite  of  the  proximity  of  Plover  Bay  to  the  Arctic, 
very  little  snow  remained  on  the  barren  country  round  it, 
except  on  the  distant  mountains,  or  in  deep  "gulches"  or 
gulleys,  where  it  has  lain  for  centuries.  "  That  there 
snow,"  said  one  of  our  sailors  to  me,  pointing  to  such  a 
spot,  "  is  three  hundred  years  old  if  it's  a  day.  Why,  don't 
you  see  the  wrinkles  all  over  the  face  of  it?"  Every  one 
has  noticed  the  wrinkles  and  ridges  in  snow  ;  but  the  idea 
of  associating  age  with  them  was  rather  original. 

Of  course,  when  our  men  were  landed  at  their  destina- 
tions it  was  frequently  found  that  some  trifles  necessary  to 
their  comfort  had  been  omitted  in  the  hurry  of  preparation. 
One  of  the  leaders  of  an  exploring  party  said  to  his  men  at 
the  last  moment,  "I  haven't  time  to  tell  you  all  you  want, 
but  look  round,  and  take  all  you  can  get."  Now,  although 
there  was  much  bonhommie  generally,  and  every  one,  at 
some  time  or  another,  helped  his  acquaintances,  not  know- 
ing how  soon  his  turn  might  come,  it  was  not  pleasant  to 
miss  one's  favorite  coat  or  boots,  knife  or  scissors,  as  the  case 


Whaling. 


149 


rctic, 
Jid  it, 
or 
here 
ich  a 
lon't 
one 
idea 


might  be,  from  the  cabin ;  and  there  were  those  who  took 
an  undue  advantage  of  the  circumstances  to  beg,  borrow, 
or  steal  all  they  could  lay  their  hands  on.  One  man  was 
caught  going  over  the  side  of  the  vessel  with  five  caps  as 
the  I'csults  of  his  lout;  they  were  unmistakably /ora-ye-ca/js. 
Several  individuals  whose  packages  had  been  very  limited 
in  extent  in  San  Francisco  went  ashore  with  quite  a  hand- 
some collection  of  baggage,  and  were  taken  by  the  natives 
to  be. persons  of  much  distinction.  I  am  afraid  that  some 
liberal,  free-hearted  members  of  our  expedition  wlio  re- 
turned to  San  Francisco  were  considerably  out  of  pocket  in 
consequence. 

In  Plover  Bay  the  whalers  often  succeed  in  capturing 
their  prey  in  quiet  water.  We  had  opportunities  of  seeing 
their  boats  in  pursuit  of  white  grampus,  and  afterward  of 
true  whale.  Each  boat  is  known  by  a  distinguishing  mark 
on  its  sail,  such  as  red  stripes  or  a  cross ;  they  can  then  be 
told  at  a  distance  by  the  vessels  to  which  they  respectively 
belong.  When  the  whale  is  harpooned,  and  floating  dead 
in  the  water,  it  is  usual  to  plant  a  small  flag  in  it.  After 
the  leviathan  is  towed  alongside  the  vessel,  it  is  cut  up  into 
large  chunks,  and  it  is  a  very  curious  sight  to  witness  the 
deck  of  a  whaling-vessel  covered  with  great  masses  of  blub- 
ber. Eventually  it  is  cut  up  into  "  mincemeat,"  in  ordei' 
that  all  the  oil  may  be  extracted,  and  chopping-knives  and 
even  mincing-machines  are  employed  for  the  purpose.  The 
oil  is  boiled  out  on  board,  and,  if  not  otherwise  informed,  a 
stranger  seeing  a  whaler  a  little  way  off  with  volumes  of 
smoke  and  steam  arising  from  it,  would  suppose  that  the 
vessel  was  on  fire.  On  these  occasions  the  sailors  have  a 
feast  of  dough-nuts  cooked  in  boiling  whale-oil,  whale-brain 
fritters,  and  other  joints.  My  friend.  Captain  Ilcdfield,  a 
very  successful  whaler,  well  known  in  San  Francisco  and 
Honolulu,  invited  me,  when  in  Plover  Bay,  to  witness  the 


:  n 


I  ;  ' 


160 


Death  of  Major  Kennicott. 


m 
m 


i 


Pi'. 


deck  of  his  vessel  with  the  blubber  lying  on  it,  and  gave 
me  every  chance  of  tasting  whale  in  various  shapes.  1 
don't  think  that  I  wish  to  repeat  the  experiment. 

On  the  20th  we  left  Plover  Bay  for  Norton  Sound, 
Russian  America,  arriving  there  on  the  24th.  We  anchor- 
ed under  the  lee  of  Whale  Island,  and  later  at  an  anchor- 
age within  four  miles  of  our  destination,  the  Island  of  St. 
Michael's.  Norton  Sound*  is  so  shallow  that  vessels  fre- 
quently touch  bottom  at  a  mile  or  more  from  the  coast. 
The  wind,  blowing  off  land,  reduces  its  depth  very  per- 
ceptibly, and  completely  bares  sand-bars  at  the  mouths  of 
the  rivers  entering  it.  The  wind,  too,  very  quickly  raises 
a  bad  sea.  On  the  night  of  the  28-29th  a  strong  gale  blew 
from  the  north-ea^'t,  and  our  largest  vessel,  the  "Nightin- 
gale "  (drawing  16  feet),  touched  bottom  at  stern  or  bows 
each  time  she  pitched.  Men  on  board  were  thrown  off 
their  feet  and  out  of  their  berths,  and  but  for  the  soft  mud 
bottom  she  must  have  sustained  injury. 

Here  we  met  the  explorers  left  the  preceding  season ; 
and  very  shaggy  and  unkempt  they  looked,  though,  with 
one  or  two  exceptions,  in  excellent  health.  But  with  the 
pleasure  of  meeting  them  was  mingled  one  sad  regret. 
Poor  Kennicott  had  died  suddenly  at  Nulato,  on  the 
Yukon,  on  the  13th  May,  1866.  His  kind-heartedness, 
zeal,  and  earnestness  had  endeared  him  to  all  of  us  who 
knew  him,  and  it  was  believed  that  anxiety  for  the  welfare 
and  success  of  his  party  had  accelerated  his  death. 

Kennicott's  name,  by  no  means  unknown  in  England,  is 
much  better  known  in  the  United  States  as  that  of  an  in- 
defatigable traveller  and  collector.    In  1859  he  started  on 

*  Norton  Sound  was  surveyed  roiiglily  by  Captain  Cook.  It  was  named, 
in  the  fashion  of  those  days,  after  Sir  Fletcher  Norton,  once  Speaker  of  the 
House  of  Commons  (after>vard  Lord  Grantley),  and  a  near  relation  of 
Captain  King,  to  whom  Cook  intrusted  the  exploration. 


Close  of  the  Season. 


151 


a  prolonged  exploration  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  territory,  and 
spent  nearly  four  years  in  his  favorite  pursuit  as  a  natural- 
ist. The  results  of  his  labor  have  enriched  the  collections 
of  the  Smithsonian  Institute  at  Washington,  and  the  Chi- 
cago Academy  of  Sciences.  Through  the  former  institution 
(which  owes  its  existence  to  the  bequest  of  an  Englishman, 
Mr.  Smithson),  other  museums,  in  both  the  Old  and  New 
World,  have  benefited ;  and  his  services  in  the  cause  of 
science  entitle  him  to  the  grateful  remembrance  of  his  fel- 
low-men. 

lis  party  had  followed  out  his  instructions  to  the  letter. 
Ketchum  and  Labarge  had  made  the  first  trip  through  from 
the  coast  to  Fort  Yukon,  and  Ennis  had  explored  the  coun- 
try north  of  Norton  Sound  as  far  as  Port  Clarence. 

On  the  1st  October  we  saw  the  last  of  the  telegraph 
fleet,  and  watched  the  "Nightingale"  till  she  was  out  of 
sight,  knowing  that  for  nearly  a  year  our  vessels  could  not 
return.  The  lateness  of  the  season  admonished  us  to  make 
a  rapid  move  for  Unalachleet — the  head-quarters  of  this 
section — as  "  between  the  seasons  "  there  would  be  a  period 
when  travelling  would  be  much  impeded  or  wholly  stopped. 
We  therefore  immediately  commenced  our  preparations  for 
leaving  St.  Michael's. 


!i 


n 


:    !f 


I! 


152 


Ueduubt  St.  Michael's. 


Ml'' 
¥-.1 


CHAPTER  XII. 

RUSSIAN   AND   INDIAN   SETTLEMENTS. — NORTON  SOUND. 

St.  Michir'"  — The  Pert  and  its  Itiliahitants.— Tlio  "Provalisliik."— 
Russiaii  fam-bath. — "Total  Iminorsion."— The  Ishind. — Incident  of 
liieak-up  of  Ice. — Arrival  of  dead  Indian  Sledjic-driver. — Steain-hoat 
trip. — Steamer  laid  up. — Russian  Post  at  Unalaehlcet. — Malemuto  and 
Kaveak  Indians. — Skin  Clotliing. — Intertribal  Commerce. — Trade  with 
the  Tchuktciiis. — Under-ground  Houses. — Fishing  through  the  Ice. 

Redoubt  St.  Michael's,  or  Midiadovsld,  the  pi-incipal 
station  of  the  Russian  American  Fur  Company  in  this 
northern  section  of  "  Walrus-sia,"  deserves  something;  more 
than  a  passing  notice.  It  is  not  merely  the  best  point*  for 
a  vessel  to  touch  at  in  order  to  land  goods  for  the  interior, 
including  that  great  tract  of  country  watered  by  the  Yukon, 
but  it  has  been,  and  is,  to  a  great  extent,  a  central  post  for 
Indian  trade,  and  for  the  collection  of  furs  from  distant  and 
interior  posts.  It  has  been  already  proposed — since  the 
American  occupation — to  make  it  a  military  station ;  wc^ 
may,  not  improbably,  live  to  hear  of  a  town  springing  uj) 
on  the  borders  of  the  Arctic,  and  within  200  miles  of  Behr- 
ing  Straits. 

St.  Michael's  is  (on  the  authority  of  Zagoskin)  in  lat. 
63°  28'  N.,  and  long.  161°  44'  W.  of  Greenwich.     It  is  sit- 


*  After  what  has  been  said  about  the  shallow  nature  of  Norton  Sound, 
this  might  be  considered  open  to  doubt;  the  practical  experience  of  our  ex- 
pedition proved,  however,  that  both  the  mouths  of  the  Yukon,  or  Kwich- 
pak,  and  the  northern  part  cf  Norton  Sound,  were  even  worse,  and  St. 
Mioliael's  was  for  over  two  years  our  base  of  supplies.  Port  Clarence  was 
loo  far  north  for  tlie  goods  intended  for  the  Yukon,  but  is  for  certain  parts 
of  the  country  an  excellent  place  for  a  station.     See  A])pendix  (1V._). 


The  FoiiT  and   its   Inhajjitants. 


io6 


Vi] 


FOKT  ST.    MICHAEL'S,   OK  MICHAELOVSKI. 


uated  on  the  south-east  side  of  the  island  of  the  same  name, 
and  was  founded  in  1833  by  Michael  TcbenkofF,  an  ener- 
getic employe  of  the  Eussian  Fur  Company. 

The  station  is  built  on  the  model  of  a  Hudson's  Bay 
Company's  fort,  with  enclosure  of  pickets,  and  with  bas- 
tions flanking  it.  Inside  are  the  store-houses  and  dwellings 
of  the  employes,  including  the  "  casine  "  {caserne),  or  general 
barrack,  bath  and  cook-houses.  These  painted  yellow,  and 
surmounted  by  red  roofs,  gave  it  rather  a  gay  appearance. 

The  inhabitants  of  the  fort — ^^all  servants  of  the  company 
— were  a  very  mixed  crowd,  including  pure  Russians  and 
Finlanders,  Yakutz,  from  Eastern  Siberia,  Aleuts,  from  the 
islands,  and  Creoles,  from,  all  parts.  They  were  not  a  very 
satisfactory  body  of  rnen ;  in  point  of  fact,  it  is  said  that 
some  of  them  had  been  criminals,  who  had  been  convicted 
in  St.  Petersburg,  and  offered  the  alternative  of  going  to 


i!i 

I  1  », 


I  <; 


in 


154 


EussiAN  Steam-Batpi. 


n 

'Ml 


'4v'i 


ni 


km 


'I: 


prison,  or  into  the  service  of  the  Russian  American  Com- 
pany I  We  found  them — as  did  Zagoskin  years  before — 
much  given  to  laziness  and  drunlvenness.  Fortunately 
their  opportunity  for  this  latter  indulgence  was  limited, 
usually,  to  one  bout  per  annum,  on  the  arrival  of  the  Rus- 
sian ship  from  Sitka  with  their  supplies ;  while  the  "  pro- 
valishik,"  Mr.  Stephanoff,  the  commander  of  this  fort,  who 
had  charge  of  the  whole  district,  stood  no  nonsense  with 
them,  and  was  ever  ready  to  make  them  yield  assistance. 
His  arguments  were  of  a  forcible  character :  I  believe  the 
knout  formed  no  part  of  his  establishment,  but  he  used  his 
fists  with  great  eftect !  To  this  gentleman  we  were  all  very 
much  indebted  for  enforcing  the  orders  of  the  Russian 
Company  in  our  behalf;  often  to  the  sacrifice  of  his  own 
comfort,  to  say  nothing  of  the  skin  from  his  knuckles.  The 
Russian  American  Company,  however,  gave  these  men  sal- 
aries proportioned  to  their  deserts :  1^  poods  of  coarse  flour 
(fbout  60  pounds)  per  month,  and  from  5d.  to  lOd.  per  day 
was  the  average  allowance,  and  most  of  them  were  hope- 
lessly in  debt  to  the  company.  Fish  and  game  at  this  post 
were  not  reliable  resources,  and  their  pay  would  barely 
keep  them  in  tea,  sugar,  tobacco,  and  clothing.  The  tea 
used  was  of  a  superior  and  expensive  kind  (worth  65.  to  55. 
lOd.  a  pound  in  the  company's  store). 

The  true  "  Pussian  steam-bath  "  was  always  to  be  obtained 
at  these  posts,  as  at  every  other  settlement  we  visited,  and 
it  was  very  popular  among  us.  The  bath-house  consisted 
always  of  two  or  more  chambers,  the  first  used  for  undress- 
ing, etc.  The  inner  room  had  a  stone  furnace,  in  which  a 
fire  was  lighted  till  it  was  intensely  hot,  and  large  barrels 
of  hot  and  ice-cold  water  were  always  ready.  Water  was 
from  time  to  time  thrown  on  the  heated  stones,  keeping 
the  room  full  of  steam,  almost  to  suffocation.  Entering, 
we  invariably  threw  a  bowl  of  cold  water  over  our  heads. 


"Total  Immersion." 


1 


oo 


and  then  reclined  on  shelves  or  benches  provided  for  the 
purpose  till  we  were  thoroughly  steamed,  then  washed  in 
hot  water.  On  leaving  the  room,  it  was  very  essential  to 
throw  cold  water  again  over  the  head  and  whole  person,  or 
headache  would  result.  The  transition  from  the  inner  to 
the  outer  room,  the  latter  sometimes  having  a  temperature 
considerably  below  zero,  was  very  sudden,  and  made  us 
rub  with  great  vigor,  but  we  found  ourselves  much  refresh- 
ed. The  llussians  invariably  take  a  nap  after  the  bath. 
Persons  with  apoplectic  tendencies  or  weak  lungs  would 
probably  suffer  from  their  use ;  I  have  seen  men  frequently 
sit  or  stoop  down  on  the  floor  to  get  a  cool  gasp  of  air; 
owing,  perhaps,  to  the  bath-house  being  too  full  of  steam. 

Outside  the  post,  besides  other  buildings,  there  was  a 
small  chapel,  in  which,  on  "  prasniks,"  or  holidays  of  the 
Church,  and  on  each  Sunday,  a  service  was  performed.  A 
priest  of  the  Greek  Church,  resident  at  the  "  Mission  "  on 
the  Lower  Yukon,  comes  down  occasionally  to  baptize  the 
natives.  The  Greek  Church  practices,  it  may  be  observed, 
total  immersion,  and  when  an  infant  is  christened  it  is  dipped 
bodily.  In  the  case  of  Indians,  they  are  baptized  in  the 
sea  at  this  fort ;  and  rumor  says  that  some  of  them  have 
been  so  Christianized  many  years  in  succession,  in  order 
that  they  may  obtain  small  gilt  crosses  and  other  presents 
given  them  at  such  times.  It  becomes  an  interesting  ques- 
tion, whether  such  a  zealous  convert  counts — in  the  mis- 
sionary's reports — as  one  person,  or  as  four  or  Jive,  as  the 
case  may  be  ? 

St.  Michael's,  though  threatened  by  distant  Indians,  ha^ 
never  been  seriously  attacked.  A  small  village  of  Indian 
houses — under-ground,  or  excavated  in  the  hill — exists  near 
the  fort.  A  similar  and  larger  village  of  natives  of  the 
same  tribe  will  be  hereafter  described. 

The  Island  of  St.  Michael's  is  mainly  composed  of  a 


'  r 


Hi 


!  '  :. ' 


1 
1 

i              -i 

■■ 

I 

1    ' 

!i<,i 

i^i 

15G 


Island   of  St.  Michael's. 


in* 


1,.. 


f.m- 
If' 


His 


porous  lava  rock,  riddled  with  holes  (air  bubbles?)  innu- 
merable. This  formation  apparently  extends  to  the  Yu- 
kon, and  clill's  of  a  similar  nature,  but  rather  more  crum- 
bling in  charaoter,  were  observed  by  us  at  the  station 
known  as  the  "  Mission  "  (J/w.svV),  on  the  lower  part  of  the 
great  river.  Zagoskin  says  that  the  Indians  have  a  tradi- 
tion that  St.  Michael's  was  upheaved  from  the  sea — an  oc- 
currence at  least  possible.  A  large  rocky  island  (in  the 
chain  of  the  Aleutian  Islands),  known  by  the  Russians  as 
the  Bogoslov  Volcano,  rose  from  the  sea  in  1796.  The 
same  writer  says  that  the  spot  where  the  fort  now  stands 
has  been  covered  by  the  sea  within  the- memory  of  Indians 
living  at  the  date  of  his  visit,  18-12-3.  The  water  of  pools 
and  creeks  on  the  island  is  extremely  nauseous,  and  oui' 
men  always  thought  they  could  detect  a  sulphurous  taste 
in  it,  probably  from  the  decomposition  of  the  rocks  just 
mentioned.  In  fact,  all  the  water  used  at  the  fort  in  sum 
mer-time  is  brought  from  a  spring  on  the  main-land.  The 
island  is  thick  with  moss,  covering  up,  in  some  places,  a 
bed  of  clay ;  berries  in  summer  are  abundant,  and  can  be 
obtained  fresh  in  winter  by  digging  through  their  thick 
covering  of  snow.  There  are  no  trees  whatever,  and  the 
fort  is  dependent  on  drift-wood  from  the  mouths  of  the  Yu- 
kon or  Kwich-pak,  which  is  fortunately  landed  in  large 
quantities  by  the  prevailing  winds  and  currents  all  over 
the  shores  of  Norton  Sound.  A  garden  at  the  fort  (perhaps 
10  ft.  by  3  ft.  in  size !),  which  yields  a  few  radishes  and 
turnips,  proves  the  practicability  of  growing  something 
there. 

The  ice  in  Norton  Sound  forms  early  in  October,  but  is 
frequently  broken  up  and  carried  to  sea  till  late  in  winter. 
On  Christmas  Eve  some  of  the  telegraph  employes  arrived 
at  St.  Michael's  from  Unalachleet,  having  travelled  on  the 
ice,  sometimes  at  a  distance  of  a  mile  or  two  from  the  coast. 


Dead  Indian  Sleduk-Diuvku 


157 


They,  as  usual,  were  invited  in  at  once  by  the  Russians  to 
•'  cliipeat,"  or  drink  tea,  etc.  After  this  was  over,  they 
sauntered  outside  the  fort  to  smoke  their  pipes  and  look 
after  the  dogs.  What  must  have  been  their  surprise  to 
lind  that  the  ice  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach  tliat  they 
liad  last  travelled  on  was  broken  up  and  gone  on  a  cruise ! 
Had  they  been  half  an  hour  later,  they  would  have  gone 
with  it,  and  would  have  been  floating  about  Behring  Sea 
on  a  field  of  ice.* 

On  the  coast,  although  the  thermometer  usually  stands 
rather  higher  than  in  the  interior,  the  climate  is  really  more 
felt.  Nearly  all  the  cases  of  frost-bite  among  our  men 
occurred  while  travelling  in  and  north  of  Norton  Sound. 
Again,  while  clear  ice — that  is,  ice  free  from  a  covering  of 
snow — is  scarce  on  the  rivers  except  very  early  in  winter, 
it  is  common  for  a  long  period  on  the  coast.  "When  your 
sledge  arrives  at  such  ice,  the  dogs  will  often  start  off  at  a 
great  rate,  although,  but  a  few  minutes  before,  they  may 
have  been  proceeding  with  difficulty.  At  such  a  time  it  is 
usual  to  jump  on  and  take  a  ride,  and  you  have  to  look 
sharp  to  do  it.  Now  if  there  is  much  wind  at  such  a  time, 
however  warm  you  may  be  from  previous  exercise,  you 
chill  very  readily.  Under  exactly  such  circumstances  as 
these,  the  Russians  at  St.  Michael's  were  once  horrified  at 
the  arrival  of  a  sledge  with  an  Indian  on  it,  sitting  erect, 
but  perfectly  dead.  Unable  to  stop  his  dogs,  the  poor  fel- 
low had  jumped  on  his  sledge,  and  had  probably  frozen  to 
death  in  a  few  minutes.  Such  incidents  are  rare  ;  but  it  is 
common  enough  to  find  Indians  with  faces  much  disfigured, 
and  having  lost  part  of  their  ears  or  noses.  It  has  been  the 
universal  testimony  of  Arctic  travellers  that  comparatively 
moderate  cold,  with  wind,  was  more  to  be  feared  than  the 
most  extreme  temperature  without  it. 

*  Norton  Sound  was  not  clear  of  ice  till  the  third  week  in  June,  1867. 


i 

i 

•  f    •  ■ 

ill 

Ill 


^1  '  , 


^}- 


il'  , 


158 


U  N  A  1.  A  ClI  LK  KT    T  HAD  I  NG-  I'oflT. 


By  noon  on  the  2d  October  wo  had  loaded  up  a 
"  biiidarro,"  a  whale-bout,  and  a  little  steamer,  the  "Wilil- 
er,"  left  for  our  use,  and  by  detachment  we  set  oil'  for 
Unalachleet,  a  distance  of  sixty  miles. 

1  took  j)assage  on  the  steamer,  and  found  her  crowded 
with  freight  and  passengers  to  her  utmost  cn])acity.  She 
was  but  sixty  feet  long,  with  a  perfectly  llat  bottom,  a!id  a 
liouse  of  planks  covering  two-thirds  of  her  deck.  Outside 
the  thermometer  stood  at  about  lU"  Fahr. ;  inside  tlio  house 
we  were  at  fever  htjat.  We  anchored  at  night  olV  the  In- 
dian village  of  Tauj)aniea,  and  early  the  next  morning  re- 
sumed our  trip,  soon  reaching  the  sand-bars  outside  the 
Unalachleet  Kiver  innnediately  opposite  Besborough  Island, 
where  we  grounded,  and  the  steamer  had  to  be  unloaded 
by  Indians  in  "  baidarres,''  Tlie  same  evening  she  entered 
the  mouth  of  the  river  safely,  but  it  proved  her  last  trip 
for  the  season. 

On  the  7th  she  was  beached  for  the  winter,  about  eighty 
telegraph-men,  Russians  and  Indians,  assisted  in  hauling 
her  high  and  dry.  The  river  was  almost  completely  fro- 
zen up,  and  our  little  craft  a  mass  of  ice  from  stem  to  stern. 
It  was  no  small  work  to  break  up  and  clear  the  space  round 
her  in  the  river  before  she  could  be  moved. 

At  the  mouth  of  the  Unalachleet  River  on  the  north 
bank  is  the  most  northern  settlement  on  the  coast,  a  Rus- 
sian trading-post,  founded  in  1840,  and  bearing  the  same 
name.  It  is  in  lat.  63°  53'  33"  N.,  and  long.  160°  30'  16" 
W.,  and  resembles  St.  Michael's  in  being  enclosed  by  a 
picket,  but  is  otherwise  on  a  much  smaller  and  poorer 
scale.  The  "bidarshik,"  or  head  man,  had  but  one  room 
for  himself  and  flimily.  The  "  casine "  was  occupied  by 
several  men  with  families,  and  by  an  immense  number  of 
cockroaches,  apparently  with  families  also !  A  large 
"  pitchka,"  or  oven,  occupied  an  important  position  in  this 


Ma  I.  km  iTK   In  di  an.s. 


loO 


establisliinent.  The  windows  did  not,  as  at  St.  MiclwuTs, 
aspire  to  tlic  dignity  of  glass,  but  were  of  the  gut  of  fur 
seal,  wiiitc  and  translucent,  if  not  transparent. 

Totlu!  N.W.  of  the  post  was  a  large  village  of  Maleniute 
and  Kavcak  Indians,  a  race  of  tall  and  stout  people,  but,  in 
other  respeet,  much  resembling  the  Ks([uimaux.  T\\v  men 
very  generally  shaved  the  crown  of  the  head,  and  wore  the 


iifi 


tern. 
)und 

ortli 
^us- 
ame 
16" 

)orer 
oom 
■  by 
of 
arge 
this 


MALEMLTE   NATIVE. 


ornaments  known  as  the  To-tooh^  pieces  of  bone  run  through 
holes  on  either  side  of  the  face  immediately  below  the 
mouth.  The  women  were  generally  tattooed  on  the  chin, 
and  wearing  ornaments  of  beads  from  their  hair,  and  leaden 
or  iron  bracelets.  All  adopted  skin  clothing;  the  true 
Malemute  coat  or  shirt  is  square  cut  at  the  bottom,  is  of  but 


i 


160 


Malemute  Clothing. 


moderate  length,  and  has  a  hood  almost  invariably.  The 
woman's  dress  is  longer,  and  has  a  rounded  shape  at 
the  lower  part  of  it.  Into  the  composition  of  these  dresses 
many  furs  may  enter;  the  hood  is  almost  invariably  wolf- 
skin, the  long  hairs  of  which  shelter  and  half  cover  the 
face.  Inside  it  is  sometimes  a  lining  of  soft,  white  Arctic 
hare-skin.     The  body  may  be  squirrel,  mink,  marten,  seal. 


rp 


I' J.  i' 


Female. 

MALEMUTE   SKIN   CLOTOING. 


Male. 


or  reindeer  skin,  but,  in  point  of  fact,  is  nearly  always  of  the 
latter.  This,  again,  varies  much ;  it  may  be  the  thick  cov- 
ering of  an  old  buck,  or  the  but  half-developed  sJan  of  a 
fawn  that  has  never  lived.  Zagoskin  tells  ns  how  it  is  ob- 
tained, by  practicing  a  great  cruelty :  the  poor  doe,  known 
to  be  with  young,  but  driven  from  place  to  place  by  the 
natives  till  her  off^^pring  is  prematurely  born.  Then  again 
it  may  be  of  the  wild,  or  domesticated  reindeer,  shot  b}- 


Malemute  Boats. 


161 


if  the 
cov- 
of  u 

IS  ob- 
lown 
the 
igain 
it  bv 


themselves,  or  imported  from  the  Tchuktchis  of  the  Asiatic 
coast,  with  whom  they  carry  on  a  very  extensive  native 
trade.  The  Tchuktchis  have  large  herds  of  tame  reindeer 
(some  of  which  1  have  mentioned  at  the  Anadyr  Eiver  and 
elsewhere),  while  the  animal  is  never  met  with  in  Kussian 
America  but  in  a  wild  state.  I  shall  have  to  allude  to  this 
trade  subsequently.  The  edges  of  coats  and  boots  are  oft- 
en trimmed  with  strips  of  the  much-prized  wolverine  skin. 
This  animal,  the  "  carcajou  "  of  the  trappers,  is  well-known 
to  be  so  wary  and  cunning  that  it  is  but  rarely  taken,  and 
its  fur  is  valued  more  highly  than  any  other,  without  ex- 
ception, by  the  natives  of  the  whole  coast  and  interior. 

Pantaloons  of  seal  or  reindeer  skin  are  worn  by  both 
sexes ;  the  women's  often  have  the  socks  attached,  and  in 
one  piece.  Their  boots  vary  in  length,  and  in  the  material 
used  for  the  sides,  but  all  have  soles  of  "  maclock,"  or  seal- 
skin, with  the  hair  removed.  Fur  socks,  with  the  hair 
turned  inside,  are  very  common,  and  mits  or  gloves  arc; 
made  of  all  shapes  and  sizes.  I  have  a  pair  made  from 
dog-skin,  two  feet  in  length,  and  coming  up  far  above  the 
elbow. 

These  natives  almost  universally  use  a  very  unpleasant 
liquid  for  cleansing  purposes.*  They  tan  and  soften  the 
seal-skin  used  for  boot-soles  with  it. 

The  seal  is  perhaps  their  most  useful  animal,  not  merely 
furnishing  oil  and  blubber,  but  the  skin  used  for  their  ca- 
noes, thongs,  nets,  lassoes,  and  boot-soles.  Their  "bai- 
darres,"  similar  to  the  "  oomiak"  of  the  Greenlander,  vary  in 
8ize  from  those  intended  for  three  or  four  persons  to  others 
capable  of  holding  fifteen  or  twenty  persons.  With  them 
they  go  to  sea,  and  cross  the  narrow  part  of  Behring  Straits. 
Their  "baidarres"  are  similar  to  the  Greenland  "  kvack," 

*  The  scientific  reader  is  referred  to  a  paper  by  tlic  author  in  the  "Trans- 
actions of  the  Ethnological  Society"  for  18G8. 


162 


Intektuibal  Commerce. 


i  t 


but  arc  more  commonly  constructed  -with  three  holes  than 
with  one.  Both  jire  admirably  made  ;  the  frames  light  and 
strong,  the  skin  covering  sewn  with  sinew,  and  the  seams 
rendered  water-tight  by  rubbing  fat  into  them.  The  skin 
is  prepared  in  the  first  instance,  while  yet  the  hair  is  on 
it,  by  spreading  fermented  fish-spawn  over  it,  and  allow- 
ing it  to  remain  till  the  hair  rots  off.  It  is  then  stretch- 
ed on  a  frame,  and  saturated  with  the  liquid  before  allud- 
ed to,  when  it  becomes  translucent.  The  fat  is  removed 
with  bone  or  stone  knives,  metal  being  considered  likely  to 
cut  it. 

In  spite  of  the  Eussian  posts  in  Norton  Sound,  a  large 
part  of  the  Indian  trade  was  carried  on  with  the  American 
whaling-vessels  who  annually  visited  Port  Clarence,  Kotze- 
bue  Sound,  and  adjacent  coasts,  and  paid  much  larger  prices 
than  the  tarif!'  fixed  by  the  fur  company.  Another  impor- 
tant part  of  the  commerce  leaves  the  country  by  the  hands 
of  the  Tchuktchis  before  mentioned,  who  cross  from  the 
coast  of  Siberia  by  the  narrow  part  of  Behring  Straits,  and 
generally  meet  the  Kaveaks  and  Malemutes  in  Port  Clarence. 
It  is  said  that  the  natives  from  either  side  also  meet  on  the 
Diomede  Islands  in  the  straHs. 

Intertribal  commerce  gees  on  to  sucb  an  extent  that 
clothing  worn  hundreds  of  miles  up  the  Yukork,  and  in  oth- 
er parts  of  the  interior  of  Russian  America,  is  of  Tchuktchis 
origin,  and  is  made  up  by  the  women  of  the  coast  tribes, 
who  sew  better  than  those  of  the  interior.  This  tiade  is 
principally  for  tame  reindeer  skins,  of  which  the  Tchuktchis 
liave  an  overplus,  and  in  exchange  they  receive  bone,  oil, 
and  the  furs  of  smaller  animals.  By  constant  inquiry,  1 
found  that  marten  (American  or  Hudson  Bay  sable  of  com- 
merce), beaver,  and  fox  skins,  taken  high  up  the  Yukon, 
traded  to  the  Co-yukons,  from  them  to  the  coast  natives,  and 
jigain  from  them  to  the  Tchuktchis,  eventually  reach  Kvs 


that 

otli- 

Itcbis 

^ibes, 

le  is 

Itcbis 

oil, 

Icom- 
[kon, 
and 


rv 


riiADJi    WITH    THE     TciiUKTClIIS. 


163 


sian  traders  on  the  Anadyr  Kivcr,  Eastern  Siberia,  or  the 
American  wluiliiio-vessels  on  the  coast. 

One  object  of  Zagoskin's  mission  was  to  promote  the 
establishment  of  an  additional  fort  near  Behring  Straits,  in 
order  to  put  a  stop  to  this  trade,  and  he  favored  the  idea  of 
placing  it  in  Kotzebue  Sound.  This  was,  however,  never 
accomplished,  and  from  our  party,  who  wintered  in  Port 
Clarence,  I  learned  that  the  larger  part  of  the  furs  leave  the 
country  by  that  outlet.  In  spring  several  hundred  natives 
meet  there,  and,  in  all  probabilit}'^,  some  station  may  now  be 
formed  in  that  neighborhood  by  its  American  owners.* 

A  large  proportion  of  these  natives  have  guns — both 
flint-lock  and  percussion-cap — obtained  in  trade.  Guns  ob- 
tained as  far  off  as  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  fort  at  the 
junction  of  the  Porcupine,  find  their  way  to  the  coast  by 
intertribal  barter.  The  smaller  animals,  hares,  grouse,  mai'- 
ten,  etc.,  are  generally  snared.  The  berries  in  summer  are 
obtained  in  large  quantities,  and  are  eagerly  sought.  Va- 
rieties resembling  blueberries,  huckleberries,  and  a  kind  of 
dwarf  raspberry  (resembling  in  other  respects  the  "  salmon- 
berry"  of  Vancouver  Island,  etc.),  are  all  abundant.  These 
mixed  with  seal-oil  are  considered  a  luxury,  and  are  gath- 
ered in  quantities  for  winter  use.  I  have  often  obtained 
them  in  winter  from  beneath  the  snow,  and  in  almost  as 
fresh  a  state  as  when  they  were  first  buried.  Reindeer  fat, 
raio,  is  always  considered  a  treat,  and  an  Indian  can  not 
better  show  his  esteem  for  a  white  visitor  than  by  present- 
ing him  with  a  piece  of  buck-fat. 

Their  houses  are  usually  under-ground,  the  roof  only 
risina;  above  the  surface :  the  entrance  is  bv  a  kind  of  tun- 
nel  or  passage,  by  which  you  crawl  into  the  room,  and  a  hole 
in  the  roof  lets  out  the  smoke.  This,  when  there  is  no  fire 
on  the  floor  of  the  room,  is  covered  tightly  with  a  skin. 

*  In  1807,  Port  Clarence  was  not  clear  of  ice  till  the  third  week  in  June. 


"1 

m 


164 


Fishing  through  the  Ice. 


Nearly  every  dwelling  has  a  stage  for  hanging  furs  or  fish 
on,  and  a  small  wooden  house  or  "cache"  perched  in  the 
air  on  four  poles,  with  a  notched  log  for  a  ladder,  is  used  to 
stow  away  supplies,  and  keep  them  safe  from  their  dogs,  or 
from  wild  animals  prowling  round  the  village.  Caroes  not 
in  use  are  generally  raised  above  the  ground  on  trestles. 

We  frequently  saw  the  Indians  at  this  place  engaged  in 
fishing  through  holes  made  in  the  ice,  catching  quantities  of 
a  small  kind  of  "  white-fish."  If  we  gave  fish-hooks  to  the 
natives,  they  usually  tried  to  cut  off  the  barbs;  they  took 
the  fish  so  readily  that  they  could  afford  to  lose  a  few  from 
the  hook.  Involuntarily  I  thought  of  patient  anglers  by  the 
brook-side  at  home  waiting  a  day  for  a  tenth  part  of  the  fish 
caught  there  by  an  Indian  in  the  same  time,  and  could  not 
help  coming  to  the  conclusion  that  the  Indian  has  the  best 
of  it.  In  windy  weather  they  frequently  erect  a  screen  of 
skins,  etc.,  and  stakes. 


\i 


Indian  Dances. 


165 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

UNALACHLEET. — NORTON  SOUND. 

Indian  Town-hall. — Preparations  for  Dance. — Smoke-consuming  Indians. — 
Feast. — Dance. — Chorus. — TheMalenmtes  and  Kaveaks. — The  Chiefs. — 
"Parka  Mania."  —  Erection  of  Quarters. — Preparations  .  .■  Sledge- 
journey.  • 

In  the  village  at  Unalacbleet,  as  in  most  others  of  the 
coast,  there  are  buildings  set  apart  for  dances  and  gatherings 
of  the  people;  at  other  times,  indeed,  they  are  used  for  oc- 
cupations requiring  space,  as  the  manufacture  of  sledges  or 
snow-shoes.  These  buildings  may  be  regarded  as  the  na- 
tives' town-hall ;  orations  are  made,  festivals  and  feasts  are 
held  in  them,  and  the  passing  stranger  is  sometimes  accom- 
modated in  them,  as  in  an  Eastern  caravansary. 

I  witnessed  several  of  their  public  dances;  they  are  con- 
stantly, indeed,  held  during  winter,  and  it  is  surprising  to 
see  how  long  and  how  much  the  older  people  are  pleased 
by  such.ery  monotonous  performances.  In  some  of  them 
the  actors  imitate  and  burlesque  the  motions  of  birds  and 
quadrupeds,  and  of  course  here  there  is  some  scope  for  fun, 
while  some  of  their  songs  are  said  to  have  some  meaning, 
although  on  this  point  I  can  not  speak  positively ;  the  onty 
ones  I  heard  were  the  same  words  repeated  over  and  over 
again. 

To  one  dance  we  were  specially  invited.  On  arriving 
at  the  doorway,  we  found  a  narrow  subterranean  passage 
two  and  a  half  feet  high,  crawling  through  which  we  at  last 
reached  the  room,  itself  partly  under-ground  and  dimly 
lighted  by  blubber  lamps. 


1 


106 


Smoke- Consuming  Indians. 


n  I 


The  Indians  who  were  to  take  part  in  tlie  dance,  chiefly 
young  men,  were  engaged  in  dressing  and  bathing  them- 
selves in  the  liquid  not  before  mentioned.  All  were  nude 
to  the  waist,  and  wore  seal,  deer-skin,  or  cotton  pantaloons, 
with  the  tails  of  wolves  or  dogs  hanging  behind,  and  feath- 
ers and  cheap  handkerchiefs  round  their  heads.  The 
elders  sat  on  a  bench  or  shelf  running  round  the  entire 
building,  and  looked  on  approvingly,  while  they  consumed 
their  own  smoke,  as  in  the  manner  of  the  Tchuktchis,  by 
swallowing  all  they  made,  and  getting  partially  intoxicated 
tliereby.  Their  pipe-bowls  were  on  the  smallest  scale,  and 
they  even  diluted  their  tobacco  by  mixing  willow  shavings 
"  fine-cut"  with  it. 


EXAMPLE  OF  PIPE  USED  BY  THE  MALEMUTES. 


Meantime  the  women  were  brinmnnj  in  contributions  of 
berries  and  fish  in  large  "  contogs,"  or  wooden  bowls,  vary- 
ing in  shape  from  a  deep  dish  to  an  oblong  soup-tureen. 

The  performance  commenced  by  the  actors  ranging  them- 
selves in  a  square,  and  raising  these  dishes  of  provisions  to 
the  four  cardinal  points  successively,  and  once  to  the  skies 
with  a  sudden  noise  like  "  swish  !"  or  the  flight  of  a  rocket. 


Indian  Dance, 


1(37 


May  be  it  meant  an  offering  to  the  seasons  and  to  the  Great 
Spirit.  Then  earne  the  feast;  and  that  over,  a  monotonous 
chorus,  with  an  accompaniment  of  gongs,  was  started.  The 
gongs  were  made  of  seal-gut  stretched  on  a  circuhir  frame, 
and  were  struck  with  a  flat  stick.  The  words  of  the  song 
commenced,  "  Yung  i  ya,  i  ya,  i  ya!"  and  continued  through- 
out "  Yung  i  ya !"  Then  a  boy  sprang  out  on  the  floor,  he 
was  speedily  joined  by  a  second,  then  a  third,  till  a  circle 
of  twenty  was  formed.  Now  they  appeared  violently  at- 
tracted together,  and  now  as  much  repelled  ;  now  they  were 
horrified  at  one  another's  conduct,  and  held  up  their  arms 
in  warning  gestures,  and  again  all  were  friends,  and  made 
pantomime  of  their  happiness.  In  this  performance  there 
was  nearly  as  mucb  done  by  arms  and  bodies  as  with  the 
feet.  When  there  was  a  lull  in  the  entertainment,  small 
presents  were  brought  round  to  all  the  strangers  present ; 
mine  was  a  pair  of  boot-soles  of  seal-skin. 

So  decided  an  odor  at  length  pervaded  the  ball-room 
that  we  one  by  one  dropped  off  from  the  festive  scene  j  the 
Indians  kept  it  up  for  hours  afterward. 

The  Malemutes  and  Kaveaks  intermingle  considerably, 
and  have  therefore  been  spoken  of  here  as  one  people. 
Their  habits,  manners,  and  customs  are  identical,  but  they 
speak  different  dialects,*  and  inhabit  different  parts  of  the 
country.  The  former  extend  from  the  Island  of  St.  Mi- 
chael's to  Sound  Golovnin,  while  the  latter  occupy  a  still 
more  northern  country  adjacent  to  Port  Clarence  and 
Behring  Straits.  Although  so  much  resembling  the  Esqui- 
maux in  habits,  they  are  a  larger,  finer  race,  and  it  is  by 
no  means  uncommon  to  find  men  of  six  feet  in  height; 
some,  perhaps,  over  that  standard.  Nearly  all  the  women 
are  stout  and  blubbery  in  aspect,  but  have  good-humored 
features.  Both  sexes  were  employed  in  various  ways  by 
*  For  a  brief  vocabulary  of  Malemute  words,  sec  Appendix  (V.). 


.  ■ 

i 

1' 

'i 

■ '!'! 

168 


Malemutes  and  Kaveaks. 


If 


pi 

m 


I -I 


our  expedition,  and  they  were  universally  eonsidercd  fur 
above  tlie  average  of  Indians  in  every  respeet.  The  Male- 
inute  chief,  "  Aleuyanuk,"  was  a  fine-looking  old  man, 
erect  and  soldierly,  and  wearing  a  mustache  and  imperial ; 
liis  manners  would  not  have  disgraced  a  civilized  assembly. 
"  Comokin,"  the  Kaveak  chief,  was  as  useful  to  us  as  he 
had  been  many  years  before  to  some  of  the  cxpviditions 
engaged  in  the  search  for  Sir  John  FranV'n 

From  our  first  arrival  at  Unalachleet,  l  mt  ^  had  very 
naturally  a  strong  desire  to  obtain  skin  clotumg  {(  r  -inter 
use,  and  also  as  curiosities,  and,  in  the  excessive  competi- 
tion for  the  limited  supply  in  the  hands  of  the  Eussians 
and  Indians,  prices  went  up  about  200  per  cent. !  This 
was  generally  known  as  the  "  Parka  mania"  (from  j)('rJta, 
Russian  for  skin  shirt  or  coat),  and  was  a  great  benefit  to 
some  of  the  more  enterprising  Russians,  who  set  their  In- 
dian wives  to  work  making  up  coats,  boots,  caps,  and  fur- 
socks  in  great  variety,  while  they  reaped  themselves  a  har- 
vest of  five-dollar  pieces.  We  all  became  extremely  well 
informed  on  the  different  names  and  styles  of  furs.  Of 
reindeer  alone,  we  distinguished  three  varieties;  the  ordi- 
nary thickly-furred  skin  was  in  Russian  simply*  Alany 
scoora ;  Nederist  was  that  of  fawns  of  a  few  months  old, 
while  Veperat  was  the  half-developed  covering  of  the  un- 
born young.  We  all  acquired  some  little  of  the  Russian 
language,  or,  rather,  that  patois  of  it  spoken  among  the 
low-class  Russians  and  half-breeds,  many  of  whom  had 
been  born  in  Russian  America. 

During  my  stay  at  this  station  all  the  men  were  employ- 
ed in  putting  up  quarters  for  winter  use.  A  rude  erection 
of  earth  and  logs  had  been  built  for  the  telegraph  ex- 
plorers the  previous  season,  and  now  that  a  party  of  near- 

*  It  is  impossible  to  represent  in  English  any  thing  but  the  sound  of  a 
Kussian  word,  as  there  are  thirty-six  letters  in  the  Russian  alphabet. 


Erection  of  Quauteks. 


1G9 


ly  forty  were  to  winter  there  and  commence  the  iin),  it 
was  necessary  to  remodel  the  establishment.  All  ha, ids 
then  set  to  work  with  a  will,  and  officers  and  men  alike 
showed  a  determination  to  prove  the  energy  of  their  race ; 
besides,  while  some  were  shivering  by  night  in  tents,  oth- 
ers were  occupying  the  Russian  employes'  quarters,  much, 
doubtless,  to  the  disgust  of  the  latter,  although  they  took 
it  philosophically. 

The  writer  soon  became  au  fait  at  building  sod  walls, 
and  was  consequently  allowed  to  follow  the  natural  bent 
of  his  genius,  and  each  man,  as  far  as  possible,  did  that 
which  he  could  do  best.  In  consequence,  we  soon  had  a 
(■ouble-roomed  house,  well  earthed  round,  and  with  a  large 
open  fire-place  in  one  chamber.  This  fact  is  mentioned  to 
show  that  an  ordinary  house  on  the  surface,  where,  as  in 
this  neighborhood,  there  is  sufficient  wood  for  fuel,  can  be 
successfully  used  in  an  Arctic  climate.  The  other  cham- 
ber, used  as  a  kitchen,  had  an  American  cooking-stove; 
one  of  those  excellent  little  institutions  which  will  bake, 
boil,  stew,  fry,  and  broil  in  the  best  manner,  with  the 
smallest  possible  expenditure  of  fuel. 

The  officers  occupied  (with  the  cockroaches)  every  avail- 
able corner  and  bastion  of  the  fort,  and  several  small  rooms 
were  lined  with  deer-skins,  making  very  cosy  little  places 
of  them. 

During  a  portion  of  the  time  passed  by  me  at  this  place 
we  had  extremely  bad  weather,  with  strong  N.  and  N.E. 
winds.  The  thermometer  invariably  rose  during  the  prev- 
alence of  wind  ;  it  stood  at  points  ranging  between  +  7° 
and  +  32°  during  our  stay 

Col.  Bulkley,  our  engineer -in -chief,  had  very  kindly 
left  to  me  the  privilege  of  selecting  my  own  course  of 
travel,  with  due  regard  to  the  interests  of  the  company.  I 
had  the  previous  year  volunteered  to  accompany  Major 


i;|i 


•tv" 


i 


Ic  ■' 


170    rUEPAUATIONS    FOK    S  LKDG  E  -  J  O  U  KN  K  Y. 

Kcnnicott ;  but  his  party  had  been  completely  organized 
before  I  joined  the  expedition,  and  my  request  could  not 
be  granted.  I  was,  however,  determined  to  visit  the  un- 
known Yukon  country,  which  had  been,  from  the  com- 
mencement of  our  explorations,  more  spoken  about  than 
any  other.  Ket'^hum,  who  had  made  his  very  adventur- 
(jus  trip  the  previous  summer,  promised  me  every  facility, 
and  kept  his  word.  Indeed  I  can  say,  with  much  grati- 
tude, that  I  received  every  possible  attention  from  all  the 
ofUcers  of  the  expedition,  and  am  especially  indebted  to 
Messrs.  Ennis,  Dennison,  Dyer,  Labarge,  and  the  gentle- 
man just  mentioned. 

We  knew  that  early  winter  was  not  a  favorable  time  for 
travelling  ;  the  snow,  but  just  fallen,  is  not  "  set"  as  it  is 
at  a  later  period,  and  some  parts  of  the  rivers  are  not  com- 
})leLely  frozen  up.  We,  however,  determined  to  lose  no 
time,  and  commenced  our  preparations.  These  included 
the  selection  and  purchase  of  sledges,  dogs,  harness,  and 
skin  clothing,  and  the  division  of  the  "spoil"  that  fell  to 
our  share,  in  flour,  tea  and  sugar,  dried  apples,  bacon, 
beans,  and  rice.  By  the  26th  of  October  every  thing  was 
ready  for  a  start,  and  on  the  next  morning  we  commenced 
our  journey  by  the  shortest  known  route  from  the  coast  to 
the  Yukon  Eiver.* 

*  Captain  Beilford  Piin  made — when  engaged  in  tho  search  for  Sir  John 
Franklin — a  very  adventurous  journey  through  a  country  of  almost  identical 
nature  lying  between  Kotzebuc  Sound,  Unalachleet,  and  St.  Michael's. 
Many  of  the  Russians  and  half-breeds  remembered  his  visit,  and  he  had 
evidently  left  a  very  pleasant  impression  beliind  him. 


Sledges  AiNU  Dugs. 


171 


m 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

SLEDGE-.TOUKXKV   TO   THE    YUKON. 

Koutcs  to  the  Yukon. — Slcdj^es  uiul  Dogs.— Our  Stmt. — Our  Pnrty. — Una- 
luclilcct  Uiver. — iJrouglit  to  ii  Stiiiul-still. — Do^s  desert. — Ingoli'te  In- 
dians.— Under-ground  Houses,  etc. — Heuns  versus  liieo. — Iiulian  Clcun< 
liness. — Medical  Aid. — Ulukuk. — Tlie  Uiver. — Indian  Trading. 

The  distance  to  that  portion  of  the  Yukon  we  were 
about  to  visit  is,  by  the  mouths  of  the  river,  700  miles,  but 
a  land  route  to  it  is  always  employed  in  winter  by  the 
Russians  travelling  from  Norton  Sound.  By  the  latter 
route  the  total  distance  from  St.  Michael's  does  not  exceed 
230  miles,  and  from  Unalachleet  is  approximately  170 
miles. 

The  Russo-Indian  form  of  sledge  adopted  by  us  was  a 
very  light  construction  of  birch  wood,  the  knees  alone 
sometimes  made  of  spruce,  while  it  commonly  had  bone 
runners.  Behind  it  were  usually  two  guiding-poles,  and 
the  general  appearance  when  loaded  will  be  seen  repre- 
sented on  our  title-page.  A  lower  and  inferior  kind,  which 
may  be  regarded  as  purely  Indian,  was  occasionally  used 
by  us  for  very  light  loads. 

Although  our  expe<'ition  was  well  fitted  out  in  the  ab- 
solute essentials  of  travel,  no  provision  had  been  made  with 
regard  to  either  sledges  or  dogs,  it  having  been  very  nat- 
urally supposed  that  the  country  itself  was  the  best  sourc(i 
from  whence  to  obtain  these.  We  found,  however,  that 
the  dogs  were  neither  plentiful  nor  of  a  good  class.  They 
were  hardly  above  the  average  of  the  sneaking,  snarling 


^S, 


'i  i- 


172 


Ol:K    StAUT. 


if 


M' 


..•ti 


ImliiiM  curs  of  Oregon  and  Jiritisli  Culunibiii,  and  it  was 
very  didicidt  to  mako  tlicm  attached  to  you — a  proof  to 
my  mind  that  they  had  as  mnch  of  the  woU'  as  tlie  dog  in 
them.  I  have  always  succeeded  in  making  a  good  dog  my 
friend,  and  was  much  chagrined  at  my  want  of  success 
among  these  animals.  They  are  very  hairy,  are  of  all  col- 
ors, iron-gray  predominating,  have  woKish  features  and 
short  legs ;  but  their  immense  busiiy  tails  make  up  for  all 
deficiencies.  Taking  them  all  in  all,  they  did  good  service 
in  transporting  our  goods,  and  with  them  all  of  us  made 
many  lengthened  journeys.  Captain  Ennis  twice  made  the 
trip  from  Norton  Sound  to  Port  Clarence,  Behring  Straits; 
and  the  journey  on  the  ice  from  St.  Michael's  to  Unalachlcet 
was  made  a  score  of  times,  while  that  to  Nulato  must  have 
been  made  a  dozen  times  during  the  winter  of  1866-7. 
The  more  remarkable  journey  of  Ketchum  and  Labarge 
will  be  mentioned  hereafter. 

On  the  morning  of  the  27th  October,  at  eleven  o'clock, 
we  bade  adieu  to  our  friends,  some  of  whom  persisted  in 
accompanying  us  a  little  way  on  the  frozen  surface  of  the 
Unalachleet  River,  while  the  others  honored  us  with  a 
grand,  but  rather  irregular  volley  of  blank-cartridge  from 
revolvers,  muskets,  and  the  old  battered  cannon  ot  the 
Eussian  post.  Our  party  comprised  nine  persons,  as  fol- 
lows :  Captain  Ketchum  and  Lieutenant  Labarge,  his  right- 
hand  man,  Mr.  Dall,  a  collector  for  the  Smithsonian  Insti- 
tute, myself,  and  Pickett,  a  man  detailed  for  our  service. 
Mr.  Francis,  engineer  of  our  little  steamer,  started  with  us 
on  an  excursion  trip,  and  three  Indians  completed  our  list. 
We  took  four  sledges,  each  drawn  by  five  dogs,  and  very 
well  laden  with  a  miscellaneous  collection  of  boxes,  barrels, 
tools,  furs,  blankets,  and  snow-shoes.  Each  load  averaged 
350  lbs.  weight. 

The  day  was  beautifully  calm  and  clear,  the  temperature 


Una  LAC  II  LKKT  Hi  v  kk. 


173 


just  btToro  starting  was  4-;")°  l"'alir.,  but  got  much  coldor 
during  the  day.  As  wo  had  to  run  alongside  of,  or  behind 
our  sledg(;s,  we  soon  found  tliat  the  heavy  fur  clothing,  so 
very  eoinlbrtable  when  stationary,  was  inlinitely  too  much 
for  us  when  in  violent  exercise,  and  we  accordingly  di- 
vested ourselves  of  much  of  it.  Many  of  our  workmen 
wore  ordinary  thick  woolen  clothing  during  the  greater 
part  of  winter,  but  native  skin  boots  were  always  adojjted 
by  us. 

The  record  of  this  trip  will  be  presented  to  the  reader 
mainly  as  it  stands  in  my  journal.  We  found  the  frozen 
river,  on  whose  surface  we  travelled  all  day,  for  the  most 
part  well  covered  with  snow.  In  a  few  patches  the  wind 
had  bared  the  ice,  and  there  we  could  observe  its  true  col- 
ors ;  sometimes  glassy  green  and  transparent,  so  that  we 
could  see  the  pebbly  bottom  of  the  shallow  stream,  in  other 
places  dark,  opaque,  and  colorless,  with  the  shaded  watei- 
underneath  it  giving  the  impression  of  infinite  depth.  Some 
few  parts  of  the  stream  were  not  completely  frozen ;  this 
generally  occurred  on  bars  or  small  rapids,  where  the  water 
ran  swiftly.  The  river  was  of  moderate  size — as  large  as 
the  Thames  at  Ilampton,  but  (excepting  in  the  early  spring 
freshets)  even  more  shallow.  Within  a  few  miles  of  the 
Russian  station  we  bad  just  left  we  found  spruce-fir  and 
birch  abundant  on  the  banks  of  the  river,  and  a  certain 
amount  of  drift-wood — the  wr<  -k  of  larger  trees  swept  from 
the  skirts  of  the  woods  at  times  of  flood — is  brought  down 
by  the  swollen  waters  at  the  breal  -up  of  the  ice. 

A  few  small  accidents  varied  the  day's  travel,  such  a? 
the  bone  runners  of  our  sledges  cracking  off,  or  the  dogs 
getting  loose  and  making  a  break  for  the  woods.  At  four 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon  we  stopped  for  a  rest,  raised  a 
good  fire  of  drift-wood  on  the  surface  of  the  ice,  and  then 
cooked  our  bacon  and  made  some  refreshing  tea.    We  then 


i  i  li 


174 


Brought  to  a  Stand-Still. 


ft"'' 

I' 


t»''    .  'I 


1  V 


resumed  our  trip  hy  starliglit,  hoping  to  make  the  Indian 
vilhige  of  Igtigulik  the  same  evening.  About  six  o'elock 
we  came  to  a  stand-still ;  a  great  patch  of  the  river  was 
entirely  open,  nor  could  we  see  a  way  round.  Attempting 
to  creep  round  the  slielving  banks,  our  sledges  were  half- 
buried  in  the  soft  snow ;  and  as  the  night  was  very  dark, 
and  we  did  not  wish  to  risk  losing  our  loads  in  the  river, 
we  came  to  the  conclusion  that  we  must  camp.  We  un- 
loaded the  sledges,  tied  up  the  dogs,  cleared  a  space  in  the 
snow  at  the  top  of  the  bank,  and  raised  a  magnificent  log- 
fire.  We  spread  a  quantity  of  fir-brush  on  the  ground, 
made  up  our  beds  on  it,  and  slept  closely  packed  together, 
with  a  large  deer-skin  robe  covering  us. 

We  had  unfortunately  relied  on  the  next  village  for  a 
supply  of  dog-feed.  The  Russian  post  we  had  just  left  was 
famous  for  "  ukalee,"  an  inferior  kind  of  salmon  dried  for 
this  purpose;  but  our  men  wintering  there  would,  we 
knew,  require  so  much  of  it  that  we  had  determined  to  ob- 
tain ours  on  the  route.  Our  sledges,  too,  were  otherwise 
filled  to  their  uttermost  capacity.  The  poor  dogs  passed  a 
hungry  night,  howhng  dismally.  We  had  to  place  every 
thing  eatable  out  of  their  reach  ;  and  as  they  did  not  object 
to  skin  clothing  or  old  boots,  and  would  readily  devour 
their  own  harness,  it  was  a  somewhat  difiicult  task. 

2Sth. — In  the  morning  we  found  that  four  of  our  dogs, 
disgusted  and  hungry,  had  desei'ted  from  our  service,  and 
we  were  sure  that  they  had  "  made  tracks  "  for  the  Russian 
post.  We  made  an  early  start  in  the  brisk  cold  morning 
(temp.  —6°  Fahr.),  and  reached  the  village  without  ary 
trouble  after  we  had  passed  round  the  edge  of  the  open 
water  just  mentioned.  There,  however,  the  thin  ice  cracked 
beneath  the  weight  of  our  sledges,  and  we  "  kept  moving," 
expecting  a  ducking  every  moment. 

On  the  right  bank  of  the  river  we  found  a  number  of 


Under-Ghound  Eouses. 


1 


<o 


Indian  summer  dwellings — simply  wooden  shanties,  built 
above  ground,  with  a  small  doorway,  sometimes  eircular, 
and  a  hole  in  the  roof  to  let  out  the  smoke.  Behind  them 
on  posts  were  the  fish-houses,  or  "  caches,"  as  before  de- 
scribed. 

On  the  left  bank  were  a  few  under-ground  houses,  in- 
tended for  winter  use.  These  were  simply  square  holes  in 
the  ground,  roofed  in,  and  earthed  over.  '  The  entrance  of 
each  was  always  a  rude  shanty  of  logs  or  planks,  passing 
into  which  we  found  a  hole  in  the  ground,  the  entrance  to 
a  subterranean  passage.  Into  this  we  dropped,  and  crawled 
on  our  hands  and  knees  into  the  room.  "  Amilka,"  the 
owner  of  one  of  these  houses,  put  half  his  floor  at  our  dis- 


DIAGRAM  OP  UNDEU-GKOUND  UOISE. 


posal,  and  we  cleared  it  of  dirt  and  encumbrances,  and 
spread  our  skins  over  it.  A  part  of  us  stopped  there  som(^ 
days,  studying  the  manners  and  customs  of  the  people. 
Their  manners  might  pass,  but  some  of  their  customs  were 
decidedly  nasty.  Igtigalik  (known  by  the  liussians  as 
Nove,  or  New  Ulukuk,  to  distinguish  it  from  a  neighbor- 
ing place  of  a  similar  name)  was  inhabited  by  a  totally 
different  tribe  from  that  we  had  met  at  ITnalachleet,  and 
called  the  Ingelete  people.  Although  only  twenty-five 
miles  from  the  JVfalemute  village,  they  speak  an  entirel}'" 
different  dialect,  one — as  we  afterward  discovered — nearly 
allied  to  the  Co-yukon.  These  people  were  a  fine  stout 
race,  with  fair  intCi^igence,  and  generally  appeared  to  be 


m 

ilT'i 

m 


17G 


IxGELETE   Houses. 


Vr  1' 


:«H 


very  good-humored.  Many  of  the  men  were  above  the 
average  in  stature,  and  thei^  general  appearance  much  re- 
sembled the  coast  natives.  Polygamy  exists,  but  not  to 
any  great  extent,  and  occasionally  a  man  discharges  his 
wife  and  takes  another,  if  the  first  proves  barren,  or  dis- 
appoints with  too  many  girls.  Daughters  are  at  a  dis- 
count. 

Their  houses  at  this  time  were  full  of  baskets  for  fish, 
traps,  frames  for  snow-shoes,  and  parts  of  sledojes  in  course 
of  manufacture. 

The  passage-way  into  these  houses  was  in  wet  mild 
weather  nothing  but  a  sewer.  The  fire  was  built  on  the 
floor  in  the  centre  of  the  chamber,  and  when  it  burned  low 
the  embers  and  sticks  were  always  thrown  out  of  the  smoke- 
hole  in  the  roof  by  the  natives  inside,  and  it  was  then  cov- 
ered with  a  skin.  This  process  effectually  shut  in  all  the 
warmth,  but  with  it  a  good  deal  of  smoke  and  carbonic  acid 
gas.  The  entrance-hole  w^as  also  usually  covered  with  a 
deer-skin,  and  the  mixture  of  close  smells  inside  the  house, 
arising  from  more  or  less  stale  fish,  meat,  old  skin  clothes, 
young  dogs,  dirt,  and  smoke,  was  very  sickening.  The  dogs 
scrambling  and  fighting  on  the  roof  above,  sometimes  tum- 
bled through  the  smoke-hole  on  the  fire  below,  upsetting 
all  the  cooking  arrangements,  and  adding  a  new  smell  to 
those  above  mentioned — that  of  singed  hair !  It  need  not 
be  said  that  they  retreated  with  great  alacrity,  yelping  and 
snarling  as  they  went. 

In  place  of  soap,  these  people  use  for  cleansing  purposes 
the  liquid  before  mentioned  as  adopted  by  the  Malemutes. 
The  little  children  are  plump  and  good-tempered,  suck  a 
stick  of  ice  as  though  it  were  barley-sugar,  and  are  totally 
unacquainted  with  the  use  of  the  pocket-handkerchief 
They  seemed  to  be  cowardly.  If  a  strapping  youngster 
tumbled  down,  and  bruised  or  scratched  himself,  the  women 


Ingelete  Manners,  Etc. 


177 


bum- 
tting 


loses 

lites. 

^k  a 

[ally 

nief. 

rster 

men 


gathered  round,  gesticulating  and  making  a  great  fuss.  If 
a  few  drops  of  blood  appeared,  tlicy  bid  tbeir  eyes  in  tbeir 
bands  as  tbougb  it  were  something  too  terrible  to  behold. 

Both  men  and  women  smoke ;  the  latter,  however,  do 
so  only  on  occasions.  Many,  like  the  Malemutes  and 
Tchuktchis,  swallow  the  smoke ;  and  their  pipe-bowls  only 
hold  a  pinch  of  tobacco.  They  also  use  snulF,  rubbing  up 
the  liussian  leaf-tobacco  in  a  kind  of  wooden  pestle  and 
mortar.  This  is  simply  a  circular  cup,  roughly  cut  out 
from  a  knot  of  wood,  and  is  held  in  the  left  hand,  while 
the  right  grasps  a  stout  round  stick,  the  top  of  which  is 
weighted  with  a  stone.  They  have  small  oval-shaped 
wooden  or  bone  snuft'-boxes,  and  sniff  the  powdered  tobac- 
co into  their  nostrils  through  a  small  wooden  tube. 

At  this  and  other  Ingelete  villages  our  goods  lay  un- 
guarded in  our  absence,  and  I  can  not  recall  a  single  case 
of  proved  dishonesty  among  them,  although  we  found  them 
gradually  becoming  more  greedy  in  their  demands  for  pay- 
ment. Here  we  obtained  a  few  Arctic  grouse  (ptarmigan) 
and  dried  deer-meat.  Wc  all  bec'ime,  from  constant  prac- 
tice, accomplished  cooks ;  nor  do  I  think  an  epicure,  es- 
pecially after  a  daj^'s  travel  in  that  appetizing  climate, 
would  have  despised  our  "telegraph"  stews,  flavored  and 
thickened  at  the  right  moment  with  salt,  pepper,  and  flour. 

It  was  in  Igtigalik  that  Francis  and  myself  engaged  in  a 
great  discussion — known  afterward  as  a  cause  celehre — 
"  beans  versus  rice."  Francis,  but  recently  arrived  from 
China,  was  persuaded  that  rice  was  the  staff  of  life,  and 
that  millions  of  Chinamen  lived  on  little  else.  On  the 
other  hand,  I  contended  that  beans  were  more  nourishing 
and  glutinous,  and  that  the  miners  and  travellers  of  the 
Pacific  coast  swore  by  them  as  the  most  poitable  and  satis- 
fying of  food.  Francis  pointed  out  the  short  time  taken  to 
cook  rice,  but  I  showed  that  beans,  when  cooked^  were  more 

M 


i 


178 


Indian  Cleanliness. 


If  1 1 


inviting  food.  Fx  .m.i  t'lied  a  la  muieiir,  baked  a  la  Yanlcee, 
or  boiled  d  la  chd-hoppcr,  were  lively  food,  compared  with 
insipid  rice.  We  advanced  our  opinions  with  deep  feeling 
and  earnestness  on  either  side,  yet  I  fear  left  each  other, 
and  our  listeners,  exactly  where  they  were  before ! 

Aprojios  of  Indian  cleanliness,  a  brief  anecdote  may  be 
narrated.  The  previous  winter  an  Ingelete  had  applied  to 
Mr.  Frederick  Smith,  a  member  of  our  expedition,  asking 
him  for  medical  assistance,  stating  at  the  same  time  that  his 
chest  pained  him.  A  powerful  blister  was  prescribed,  ap- 
plied, and  left  on  all  night.  In  the  morning  it  was  expect- 
ed that  his  breast  would  be  raw;  but  the  only  effect  it  had 
on  his  skin  was  to  leave  a  clean  space  the  exact  impression 
of  the  plaster  !     The  man  got  better  immediately. 

A  little  Indian  boy,  playing  with  other  children,  re- 
ceived a  gash  in  the  cheek  from  a  knife,  and  came  to  us  for 
medical  aid.  *  A  large  piece  of  sticking-plaster  was  put  over 
the  wound,  and  the  child  was  told  that  he  must  neither  cr}^, 
talk,  nor  eat,  as  it  would  interfere  with  the  charm  of  the 
application.  The  little  fellow  complied  perfectly,  would 
not  utter  a  word,  and  starved  himself  for  a  week,  so  ih-i 
his  cut,  being  absolutely  undisturbed,  soon  healed  up,  and 
our  reputation  was  established.  A  small  stock  of  simple 
medicines  would  be  very  useful  to  any  future  traveller ; 
among  them  should  be  included  pills  capable  of  acting 
powerfully,  for  natives  who  had  overgorged  themselves. 
Healing  ointments,  for  outward  application,  would,  with 
sticking-plaster  and  lint,  be  of  real  service,  as  a  great  many 
of  the  natives  suflfe^'  irom  skin  diseases. 

During  our  stay  at  the  villag*^,  on  October  30th  and  31st, 
and  on  the  1st  November,  a  thaw  set  in ;  the  thermometer 
standing  at  points  between  +-^2°  and  +35°  ]*'ahr.,  and  the 
wind  south.  Snow  also  I'M.  On  the  2d,  Dall  and  Francis 
returned  to  Unalachleet,  wi:^  the  hope  of  recovering  our 


I  i  M 


Ulukuk. 


179 


do^s,  several  more  of  whom  had  left  our  service.  Many 
of  them  had  been  borrowed  from  tlie  Indian  vilhige,  and 
very  naturally  preferred  their  lazy  life  there  to  hard  work 
with  us.  I  saw  no  dogs  in  liussian  America  equal  to  the 
picVed  teams  in  Petropaulovski ;  but  they  had  been  select- 
ed Jrom  the  best  breeds  of  the  whole  peninsula.  It  was  the 
intention  of  Colonel  Bulkley  to  import  a  number  from 
thence  for  our  use,  had  the  expedition  continued  for  an- 
other season.  Before  leaving,  Ketchum  and  myself  pur- 
chased a  small  skin  boat  —  which  was  subsequently  used 
on  my  Yukon  trip,  and  served  for  1200  miles  of  river 
travel.  We  paid  five  dollars  in  American  silver,  and  an 
axe  worth  two  and  a  half  dollars,  so  that  it  was  not  an  ex- 
pensive craft. 

On  the  3d  we  started  with  four  sledges  for  the  upper 
village  of  Ulukuk,  a  distance  of  fifteen  miles.  Our  route 
Jay  mainly  on  a  "  peronose  "  (as  the  Russians  term  a  port- 
age), over  land  thickly  covered  with  soft  snow,  in  which 
our  dogs,  sledges,  and  selves  were  half  buried.  On  the  top 
of  an  ordinary  sledge-load  we  carried  our  skin  canoe,  and 
had  no  small  work  in  helping  it  along,  more  especially  at 
snow-banks.  We  crossed  manv  small  streams,  on  which 
the  ice  was  not  thoroughly  formed,  slipping  into  rather 
cool  water  up  to  our  waists.  We  carefully  lifted  our 
sledges  over  such  places  to  prevent  wetting  our  goods.  On 
some  of  the  tributaries  of  the  river  the  route  was  like  a 
well-made  road,  with  but  a  slight  covering  of  snow,  and  we 
occasionally  got  a  few  minutes'  ride.  It  was,  however,  a 
luxury  but  rarely  attained.  In  the  woods,  through  which 
our  course  partly  lay,  the  dogs  invariably  ran  the  sledges 
against  the  trees  and  stumps,  and  there  they  would  remain 
till  two  or  three  of  us  could  clear  them.  Late  in  the  day 
we  arrived  at  the  Ulukuk  River,  which  was  still  open. 
Rapids  abound  in  it;  and  there  are  warm  springs  in  the 


I' 


180 


Indian  Tkading. 


neighborhood,  SO  tliat  this  stream  is  but  rarely  quite  frozen 
up.  The  Ingeletes  have  availed  themselves  oi'  this  chance 
by  placing  one  of  their  principal  villages  near  it.  They 
have  large  fish-traps  in  the  stream,  and  the  villag(;  is  very 
prettily  situated  on  an  open  space  in  the  woods  hard  by 
the  river.  In  the  distance  is  to  be  seen  the  range  of  the 
LHukuk  ^lountains,  which  are  seen  from  the  coast,  and  will 
be  hereafter  mentioned.  Ulukuk  is  the  paradise  of  this 
part  of  the  country  in  regard  to  salmon,  salmon-trout, 
grouse,  and  deer-meat;  and  a  larger  number  of  Ingeletes 
congregate  there  than  in  i:\ny  other  of  their  villages.  There 
is  no  fear  of  your  dogs  deserting  from  such  a  place. 

The  common  native  mode  of  cooking  is  roasting  by  the 
fire;  some  of  them  have,  however,  bought  iron  pots  from 
the  Russians.  Salmon  cooked  on  a  stick  placed  near  the 
fire,  and  occasionally  turned  till  "done brown,"  is  luscious. 

On  the  -ith  a  terrible  snow-storm  occurred,  with  a  stron^i^ 
N.E.  wind.  We  were  fortunately  at  that  time  in  an  un- 
der-ground liorse,  exhibiting  our  treasures  in  magnetic  com- 
passes, pencils,  note-books-,  etc.,  to  an  admiring  crowd,  and 
tracing  with  them  for  dried  fish  for  o'lr  dogs.  It  would 
be  worth  the  traveller's  while  to  take  with  him  a  small 
stock  of  toys  and  instruments  of  a  simple  nature,  in  place 
of  so  much  of  the  conventional  rubbish  usually  brought 
for  Indian  tnu'e.  Beads  and  bracelets  are  all  very  well, 
but  burning-glasses,  multiphu  g-gla^'^SciS,  kaleidoscopes, 
whistles,  and  small  things  in  cutlery  are  n>^velties  to  them. 
Generally  speaking,  we  found  that  the  liOtiN  es  very  sensibly 
preferred  useful  to  ornamental  things ;  and  axes,  knives, 
powder,  caps,  flints,  and  bullets  were  by  far  the  best  goods 
for  trading.  Yet  if  they  diil  become  violently  in  love  with 
a  novelty,  of  however  trifling  a  nature,  there  was  no  price 
they  would  refuse  to  give  ;  and  the  traveller  who  has,  above 
every  thing,  to  consider  the  portability  of  his  goods,  may, 


small 
place 
rought 
well, 
copes, 
tliem. 
nsibly 
iiives, 
goods 
with 
price 
above 
,  mav, 


Indian  Tkadino. 


181 


by  sclocting  tliose  small  things  which  please  even  grown- 
up chiklren  here,  save  liimscli'  the  trouble  of  transporting 
more  unwieldy  and  less  attractive  goods.  On  several  oc- 
(lasions  we  "astonished  the  natives"  by  lighting  "  J^ha- 
raoh's  serpents,"  a  novelty  at  tliat  time  even  m  Sai.  Kran- 
c'^co.  A  few  small  fire-works  (packed  in  tin  or  zinc  for 
safe  transportation)  would  be  much  appreciated  by  the  In- 
dians when  gathered  at  their  spring  mectinga. 


I'll 


I     i 


I  '  ! 


m 


182 


CliOSri    THE    UlUKUK. 


i". 


t^ 


i     V 


CHAPTER  XV. 

SLEDGE-JOUKNEY  TO   THE   YUKON  —  continued. 

Cross  the  llliikuk  River. — Walking  on  Snow-shoes. — Ulukuk  Mountains. — 
Land  travclliiij^. — Vcrsola  Sofka. — I'atcnt  Camp. — Our  frozen  Breath. 
— Indian  Honesty. — The  Use  of  Snow-shoes. — Warm  Springs. — First 
Glimpse  of  the  Yukon. — Cohoj^.— Ohl  "  Starcek,"— Travel  on  the  Yu- 
kon.— Alikofi"s  "  Barabha." — Meet  a  llussiau  Sledgc-train. — Arrival  at 
Nulato. 

On  the  morning  of  the  5th  we  turned  our  skin  canoe  to 
good  account  jj  using  it  to  cross  the  Ulukuk  River.  By 
making  several  trips,  we  transported  to  the  opposite  bank 
our  sledges,  dogs,  and  goods.  At  Ulukuk  I  essayed  my 
tirst  pair  of  snow-shoes,  to  the  amusement  of  the  natives, 


SNOW-SUOE. 


who  wondered  where  a  man  could  have  been  all  his  lif^. 
who  had  not  become  familiar  with  their  use ! 

On  the  6th  we  made  a  start,  taking  two  sledges,  an  In- 
dian man,  and  a  boy  ;  the  latter  we  named  "  Tommy."  We 
"  cached  "  our  skin  boat ;  it  was  to  be  brought  up  for  us  at 
a  later  period.  The  day  was  pleasant — temperature  +  23° 
Fahr. ; — but  the  snow  was  fresh  and  soft,  and  all  of  our 
party  wore  snow-shoes.     After  a  little  use,  I  became  quite 


Walkinm;   UN   Snow-Shoes. 


l&o 


proficient.  The  only  secret  in  wearing  tliem  is  to  strive  to 
forgot  yoLi  have  them  on  at  all,  and  to  walk  exactly  as  you 
would  anywhere  else.  The  snow-shoe  then  moves  forward 
with  the  foot,  but  is  not  lifted  much  above  the  snow,  and 
the  lashings  are  so  arranged  that  the  toe  remains  fixed, 
while  the  r(;st  of  the  foot  moves  up  and  down  in  the  usual 
manner.  Of  course,  the  great  object  in  using  them  is  to 
difi'use  your  whole  weight  over  a  large  surface,  and  they 
are  usually  of  a  good  length,  sometimes  five  and  a  half  feet 
long  and  upward.  An  average  length  is  four  and  a  half 
feet.  All  used  in  this  part  of  the  country  are  rounded  and 
bent  upward  in  front,  and  pointed  behind.  They  are  made 
of  birch-wood,  covered  at  either  end  with  a  fine  network  of 
gut ;  the  lashings  for  the  foot  are  strips  of  hide. 

We  travelled  N.N.E.  magnetic,  and  followed  pretty  close- 
ly the  base  of  the  Ulukuk  Mountains,  which  in  themselves 
are  hills  of  inconsiderable  altitude,  not  usually  exceeding 
3000  feet  in  height ;  they  are,  however,  conspicuous  land- 
marks in  a  country  which  is  otherwise  comparatively  level. 
These  mountains  run  north  and  south  for  100  miles.  One 
of  their  outlying  hills,  the  "  Versola  Sofka,"  has  a  very 
graceful  rounded  form.  To  the  west  were  hills  and  mount- 
ains of  apparently  greater  altitude. 

We  occasionally  stopped  for  a  draught  of  ice-cold  water. 
After  breaking  a  hole  in  the  ice  of  a  creek,  I  noticed  that 
our  Indian  invariably  filled  it  up  with  loose  snow  before 
stooping  down  on  hands  and  knees  to  drink.  This  was 
done  to  filter  the  water,  and  to  prevent  some  little  red 
worms,  said  to  infest  it,  from  being  swallowed.  Our  route 
again  lay  through  a  "peronose,"  or  portage,  and  presented 
alternations  of  open  spaces,  and  light  woods  of  spruce-fir. 
birch,  and  willow.  At  4  P.M.  we  reached  the  base  of  the 
"  Versola  Sofka"  Mountain,  wdiere  we  found  a  large  frozen 
stream.     We  camped  hard  by  it,  and  made  a  glorious  fire 


i  ■  i 


I  ; 


m 


184 


Evening  Camp. 


!ind  a  bod  of  aromatic  fir-brush  ;  a  screen  of  canvas,  fixed 
behind  our  camp  to  the  trees,  and  our  snow-shoes  stuck  in 
the  ground,  sheltered  us  from  the  only  enemy  we  feared — 
the  wind.  We  found  from  experience  that  tents  were  not 
in  winter  as  comfortable  as  these  open  camps,  as  they  could 
not  be  with  safety  placed  sufliciently  near  the  fire.  After 
having  arranged  the  camp,  unloaded  the  sledges  as  far  as 
necessary,  and  fed  our  dogs,  we  divested  ourselves  of  our 
damp  fur  socks  and  skin  boots,  and  hung  them  up  to  dry 
at  a  moderate  distance  from  the  fire.  Our  Indian  mean- 
time took  the  pots,  and  went  to  break  a  hole  in  the  nearest 
frozen  stream,  to  get  the  water  for  our  tea.  One  of  us 
sliced  the  bacon,  got  out  a  bag  of  "  hard  bread,"  or  biscuit, 
or  set  to  work  concocting  a  stew  of  dried  deer-meat  or  fresh 
grouse.  Soon  our  meal  was  over,  the  ever-grateful  pipe 
smoked  by  one  and  all  of  us,  and  we  turned  into  our 
blankets  and  furs,  the  stars  looking  down  calmly  upon  us 

*'  Because  they'd  nothing  else  to  do," 

and  in  a  few  minutes  we  were  soundly  sleeping.  "We  woke 
in  the  morning  to  find  our  breath  congealed  in  masses  of 
ice  on  our  mustaches  and  other  hairy  appendages.  So 
great  a  nuisance  was  this  that  many  of  our  men  shaved 
closely  all  winter.  A  merchant  I  had  met  the  previous 
summer  in  Petropaulovski  had  once  narrowly  escaped  suffo- 
cation from  the  ice  forming  in  this  way  on  his  luxuriant 
beard  and  mustache.  While  travelling,  he  was  unfortunate 
enough  to  wander  into  the  woods  and  lose  his  reckoning. 
He  remained  there  a  whole  night,  and  in  the  morning,  when 
found  by  his  anxious  friends,  the  ice  had  almost  completely 
glued  up  his  nostrils  and  mouth.  We  always  had  to  break 
up  the  clotted  ice  formed  on  our  faces  in  this  way,  and  then 
to  perform  our  limited  toilet  by  taking  a  little  snow  in  our 
hands  and  rubbing  it  over  our  faces — a  very  refreshing  op- 


ill 


Indian   IIunesty. 


185 


(M'ation.  "Wc  then  hastily  cooked  tlic  breakfast,  and  vvuro 
soon  on  our  way  again.  Wo  once  or  twice  made  a  stow, 
•and  left  it  simmering  ;ill  night  at  the  camp-iire. 

We  left  the  ''  Vcrsola  Sofka"on  the  morning  of  the  7th, 
and,  finding  the  loads  too  great  for  our  dogs  under  the  cir- 
cumstances, wc  raised  an  erection  of  poles,  and  deposited 
some  bags  thereon.  I  may  here  say,  once  for  all,  that 
our  men  often  left  goods,  consisting  of  tea,  Ihnir,  molasses, 
bacon,  and  all  kinds  of  miscellaneous  items — scattered  in 
this  way  over  the  country,  and  that  they  remained  untouch- 
L'd  by  the  Indians,  who  frequently  travelled  past  them.  It 
would  require  some  faith  in  one's  species  to  do  the  same 
in  St.  James's  Park.  This  day's  travel  was  especially 
troublesome,  the  snow  was  deeper  and  softer  than  before, 
some  little  having  recently  fallen,  and  our  sledges  were  per- 
petually upsetting.  In  order  to  make  a  track  for  our  dogs, 
we  frequently  with  the  Indian  walked  on  ahead,  returned, 
and  again  started  forward,  thus  going  over  the  ground 
three  times.  At  night,  after  crossing  a  stream  still  open, 
wc  came  to  a  small  and  very  dilapidated  Indian  shanty,  not 
much  better  than  an  open  camp,  known  by  the  Eussians 
as  "Ivan's  barabba"  (house).  It  was  a  very  wretched 
place,  and  wc  found  it  temporarily  occupied  by  an  Indian, 
with  wife  and  child,  whose  apparent  possessions  no  beggar 
could  covet.  Yet  they  appeared  happy ;  for  did  they  not 
know  that  on  the  morrow  the  hares  and  ptarmigan  could 
be  snared,  the  deer  hunted  with  a  little  more  exertion,  and 
that  if  they  were  positively  "  hard  up  "  they  could  get  all 
they  wanted  for  subsistence  at  the  nearest  village  ?  A  lit- 
tle tobacco  and  a  few  trifles  were  given  them,  and  from  them 
we  obtained  a  light  sledge,  standing  no  more  than  fifteen 
inches  above  the  ground,  to  be  used  by  us  for  transporting 
our  blankets  and  light  possessions. 

On  the  8th  snow  fell  thickly,  and  travelling  was  so  diffi- 


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186 


Use  of  Snow-Shoes. 


cult  that  v/ith  our  best  exertions  we  did  not  make  ten  miles 
during  the  day.  We  camped,  thoroughly  worn  out.  Al- 
though the  use  of  snow-shoes  renders  travelling  possible 
where  otherwise  it  would  hardly  be  so,  they  are  very  fatigu- 
ing in  soft  or  soggy  snow.  The  difference  may  be  stated 
thus:  whereas  without  them  you  might  sink  in  three  or 
four  feet,  with  them  you  only  sink  as  many  inches.  But 
in  certain  conditions  of  climate  the  snow-shoes  get  loaded 
with  adhering  snow  and  ice,  and  then  every  time  you  raise 
your  foot  you  have  to  lift  10  or  15  lbs.  extra.  The  shoes 
have  to  be  consequently  shaken,  or  otherwise  cleared,  at 
such  times. 

The  morning  of  the  9th  broke  fine  and  clear,  with  a  tem- 
perature of  +4°  Fahr.,  and  we  travelled  witli  greater  ease; 
through  level  country  diversified  by  low  rises,  from  which 
we  could  see  the  break  in  the  hills  toward  the  Yukon.  Our 
Indian,  proceeding  a  good  way  ahead,  shot  several  ptarmi- 
gan, and  we  made  a  fair  day's  journey  of  eighteen  miles  be- 
fore cam.ping.  The  next  morning  a  north  wind  blew,  and 
made  us  feel  the  cold  very  decidedly,  it  is  wonderful  how 
searching  the  wind  is  in  this  Arctic  climate:  each  little 
seam,  slit,  or  tear  in  your  fur  or  woolen  clothing  makes  you 
aware  ol  its  existence ;  and  one's  nose,  ears,  and  angles 
generally  uie  specially  the  sufferers.  We  passed  this  day 
over  a  rather  more  hilly  country  (in  a  north-east  direction), 
and  in  the  valleys  observed  many  warm  springs  which  are 
said  never  to  freeze  in  winter.  I  examined  one,  and  found 
bubbles  of  gas  rising  to  the  surface.  The  temperature  of 
the  water  was  one  degree  above  freezing,  while  the  air  was 
twenty-three  degrees  colder.  Toward  night  it  got  down  to 
zero,  and  the  wind  died  out 

We  made  a  nearly  start  next  morning,  travelling  E.N.E., 
and  later  in  a  more  northerly  direction.  About  noon,  from 
a  slight  eminence,  we  could  see  a  faint  streak  of  blue  over 


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the  trees ;  we  travelled  hard  to  reach  it,  and  at  sundown 
broke  from  the  woods,  shot  down  a  steep  bank,  and  stood 
on  an  immense  snow-clad  field  of  ice,  the  mighty  Yukon  ! 
Hardly  a  patch  of  clear  ice  was  to  be  seen  ;  all  was  covered 
by  a  wintry  mantle.  Large  accumulations  of  hummocks 
had  been  in  many  places  forced  on  the  surface  before  the 
river  had  become  thoroughly  frozen,  and  even  now  the  wa- 
ter was  still  open,  and  running  swiftly  in  a  few  isolated  and 
detached  streaks.  From  bank  to  bank  was  not  less  than  a 
mile,  and  several  islands  were  visible  in  either  direction. 
Let  the  reader  think  of  a  river  2000  miles  long,  and  any- 
where at  this  part  of  its  course  from  one  to  four  or  five  miles 
wide,  one  unbroken  mass  of  snow-covered  ice  from  its  source 
to  its  mouth,  and  he  will  then  have  pictured  to  himself  the 
Yukon  in  winter.  I  had  been  prepared  to  see  a  large 
stream,  but  had  formed  no  conception  of  the  reality.  Nei- 
ther pen  nor  pencil  can  give  any  idea  of  the  dreary  grand- 
eur, the  vast  monotony,  or  the  unlimited  expanse  we  saw 
before  us.* 

My  first  acquaintance  with  the  Yukon,  in  common  with 
several  of  my  companions,  was  made  sliding  down  the  bank 
at  the  rate  of  "  2.40"  (to  use  an  Americanism),!  comfortably 
seated  on  my  snow-shoes.  At  such  snow-banks  it  is  a  very 
common  thing  for  the  sledge  to  shoot  down  faster  than  the 
dogs,  vho  then  get  entangled  in  their  harness,  run  over,  and 
mashed  in  the  snow.  They  frequently  break  loose  at  such 
times.  The  driver  often  throws  himself  down,  and  hangs 
on  to  the  sledge  to  act  as  a  drag.  In  Siberia,  as  I  learned 
from  my  friends  who  had  wintered  there,  it  is  usual  for  the 


.  Si  «  f 


*  The  artist  will  understand  mc  when  I  state  that  it  would  be  nocessary. 
in  a  sketch  of  this  river,  to  make  its  width  out  of  all  pro]»onion  to  its  hei^rht, 
and  therefore  as  a  picture  it  could  not  be  satisfactory.  This  is  my  excusi' 
for  not  reproducing  more  of  my  sketches  of  the  Yukon. 

t  Two  minutes  forty  seconds  is  the  time  taken  by  a  high-class  trotting- 
horse  to  run  a  mile. 


§  i 


I'i  i 


190 


Village  of  Coltog. 


driver  of  a  sledge,  when  riding  on  it,  to  have  a  pole  or  stake, 
which  he  uses  to  impede  its  progress,  driving  it  down  into 
the  snow  every  few  seconds. 

A  quarter  of  an  hour's  travelling  over  this  expanse  of 
snow  brought  us  to  the  Ingelete  village  of  Coltog,  where 
we  again  made  a  halt,  and  stopped  in  one  of  the  largest  un- 
der-ground houses  we  had  seen ;  one  inhabited  by  several 
I'amilies.  The  owner  of  this  dwelling,  old  "Stareek,"  re- 
ceived us  well,  and  produced  white  ptarmigan  and  berries. 
They  were  unfortunately  short  of  dog-feed.  This  is  one  of 
the  constant  drawbacks  in  travelling,  and  stands  much  in 
the  way  of  the  transportation  of  large  quantities  of  goods. 
The  dogs,  of  course,  weaken  quickly  without  regular  feed, 
and  very  naturally  prowl  about  seeking  something  to  de- 
vour. Provisions,  even  when  packed  up  in  boxes  or  bar- 
rels, are  not  safe  where  there  are  many  dogs.  The  previous 
year  they  managed  to  burst  open  a  keg  of  oil,  and  in  a  very 
short  time  there  was  nothing  left/ but  a  few  scattered  staves 
and  hoops ;  on  this  trip  one  had  gorged  himself  on  half  a 
ham,  and  was  in  consequence  very  unwell. 

We  stopped  over  the  12th  and  13th  at  this  village ;  both 
days  being  very  gusty  and  stormy.  Old  "  Stareek  "  har- 
angued his  neighbors  by  the  hour  together,  and  they  brought 
us  a  fair  amount  of  supplies.  The  poor  old  man — probably 
the  "  oldest  inhabitant "  of  this  district — with  his  shrivelled 
form,  wrinkled  face,  long  scattered  hair,  stubbly  chin,  and 
toothless  mouth,  wagging  about  in  the  most  uncertain  and 
eccentric  manner,  was  a  pitiable  object ;  but  we  made  his 
ancient  heart  rejoice  by  presenting  him  with  cotton-drill, 
powder,  and  balls.  Our  teams,  passing  and  repassing,  would 
iiave  to  halt  at  this  village  constantly  during  winter,  "^n 
"  Stareek's  "  house  several  of  the  Indians  slept  on  shelves 
or  benches  built  round  the  walls,  and  by  this  means  four  or 
five  families  were  packed  into  one  room.    When  camped  at 


Travel  on  the  Yukon. 


191 


these  places,  aftertaking  our  own  meals,  we  invariably  filled 
up  the  tea-kettle,  and  handed  round  to  each  of  those  natives 
who  had  done  us  any  service  a  cup  of  weak  tea,  with  a  little 
broken  biscuit  floating  on  the  top  of  it.  Some  of  them  have 
acquired  from  the  Russians  a  taste  for  tea,  but  more  espe- 
cially for  sugar.  As  these  things  were  not  articles  of  trade 
at  the  llussian  Fur  Company's  posts,  they  rarely  got  a  taste 
of  either;  nor  do  I  believe  that  tea,  })cr  se^  was  much  cared 
for  by  them,  but  that  they  simply  liked  it  when  hot  and 
sweet. 

We  started  up  the  Yukon  on  the  14th.  An  occasional 
patch  of  open  water,  running  perhaps  at  the  rate  of  three 
knots  an  hour,  alone  showed  us  that  it  was  a  river  at  all, 
and  the  dreary  expanse  of  snow  almost  made  us  forget  that 
we  were  on  a  sheet  of  ice.  The  river  winds  considerably, 
and  our  course  was  often,  therefor*^,  from  one  point  of  land 
to  another.  We  several  times  crossed  from  bank  to  bank 
to  cut  off  corners  and  bends,  and,  although  we  met  with 
some  obstructions  from  masses  of  ice  of  all  forms  and  shapes 
piled  wildly  and  irregularly  around,  travelling  was  on  the 
whole  immeasurably  easier  than  on  the  land  portage. 
Many  cliffs  abutted  on  the  river,  and  islands  of  sombre  green 
forest  studded  it  in  all  directions.  We  made  about  twenty- 
live  miles,  then  camped  in  a  new  but  empty  Indian  house, 
known  by  the  Russians  as  "  Alikoff's  barabba."  The  tem- 
perature at  sunset  was  —2°  Fahr. 

On  the  morning  of  the  15th  we  rose  early,  and,  after 
travelling  seven  miles  or  so,  met  a  large  train  of  sledges, 
accompanied  by  several  Russians  and  Indians.  They  had 
been  sent  down  by  the  head  man,  or  "  bidarshik,"  of  Nulato, 
to  transport  their  own  winter  supplies,  and  to  assist  us.  As 
it  was  arranged  that  some  of  our  men  should  make  the  re- 
turn journey  to  Norton  Sound  a  few  days  later,  the  Russians 
turned  round,  and  went  back  with  us.     After  about  eight 


n 


WlBi 


iir 


102 


^IIUIVAL    AT    N  UL ATO. 


miles'  travel  we  reached  Nulato,  our  destination,  and  made 
a  grand  entry  with  much  noise  and  fun,  and  the  iiring  of 
innumerable  discharges.  All  hands  helped  the  sledges  up 
the  incline  leading  up  to  the  station,  and  a  few  minutes 
later  we  were  lunching  at  the  "  bidarshik's  "  table  on  raw 
salt  fish  and  bread.  It  need  not  be  said  that  the  "  samo- 
var "  had  been  prepared  as  soon  as  they  sighted  us  in  the 
distance.  The  poorest  Russian  never  neglects  the  sacred 
rite  of  hospitality,  and  we  pledged  each  other  in  massive 
cups  of  strong  tea.     Later  in  the  day  we  had  something 


stronger. 


Thus  ended  our  trip  to  Nulato,  a  journey  made  by  our 
men  later  in  the  winter  in  much  less  time  when  the  snow 
v;as  well  packed,  and  when  they  could  sometimes  travel 
w'thout  snow-shoes. 

We  found  the  quarters  appropriated  to  our  use — a  low 
building,  forming  one  of  the  boundaries  of  the  court-yard — 
to  be  large  and  reasonably  comfortable.  The  place  had 
been  cleaned  out,  a  large  fire  lighted  in  the  "  pitchka,"  or 
oven,  straw  laid  on  the  floor,  and,  in  short,  every  thing 
done  that  was  possible  with  the  limited  means  at  command. 
Later  in  the  day  we  took  a  delicious  steam-bath,  and  soon 
came  to  the  conclusion  that,  after  all,  life  in  Kussian  Amer- 
ica was  perfectly  endurable. 


FiiiST    Yukon   Kxi'luuehs. 


ll>3 


f 


thing 


CHAPTER  XVl. 

LIFE   AT  NULATU. — YUK')X   RIVER. 

First  Explorers  of  the  Yukon. — Niiliito. — Our  Quarters. — Wntcr-slodge.— . 
F.sh-traps. — Winter  Skctcliiuf?. — Frozen  I'rovisiori.s. — CoKlest  Diiy.— 
Dejmrture  of  a  Sledge-truin. — Dinner-party. — Indian  Arrivals. — Short- 
est Day. — Merry  Christmas. — Rill  of  Fare. — Aurora. — Temperatures. — 
Supplies. — I'vineipal  Winter  Trijt  of  our  Explorers. 

Employes  of  the  Russian  American  Fur  Company  were 
(jertainly  the  first  explorers  of  the  Yukon.  ^Malalvoff,  in 
1838,  and  Dcrabin,  the  following  year,  reached  thi.s  portion 
of  the  river;  the  latter  in  the  autumn  of  1842  commenced 
the  establishment  of  the  post  at  Nulato,  which,  in  conse- 
quence, long  bore  his  name.  In  the  early  winter  of  1843, 
Zagoskin,  of  the  ilussian  Imperial  Navy,  arrived,  having 
reached  Nulato  by  the  route  just  described,  and  he  himself 
assisted  at  the  building  of  the  fort.* 

Nulato  is  the  most  inland,  and  also  most  northern  of  all 
the  Russian  Fur  Company's  posts;  on  Zagoskin's  author- 
ity, it  is  in  lat.  64°  42'  11"  N.,  and  long.  157°  58'  18"  W. 
(of  Greenwich).  It  is  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Yukon,  and 
is  sit'^ated  on  a  flat  stretch  of  com.paratively  open  land, 
bounded  on  the  south-west  by  the  Nulato  River,  a  tributary 
of  the  Yukon — a  stream  one  of  whose  mouths  is  at  least 
seventy  yards  in  width. 

A  smaller  stream,  also  falling  into  the  great  river,  bounds 
this  open  patch  of  land  on  the  north-east.  Trees  of  good 
aver-^ge  growth,  and  sufficiently  large  for  building  purposes, 

*  Zaposkin's  work  contains  nearly  all  the  information  we  possess  on  the 
Lower  Yukon.  It  was  translated  by  Mr.  E.  K.  Laborne,  the  interpreter  of 
our  expedition,  but  was  not  printed.     It  exists  in  a  German  form. 

N 


^Hi 


lU 


I 


11)4 


M  I'  I.  All). 


[I  1 


m 


h':. 


If' 


It.. 


iiro  to  hr  fouiiil  ill  (he  woods  at  a  iiiodorato  (listanrc  from 
llio  loll,  ami  tliii  soil,  a  ricli  vr^ctablc  inoiiid,  willi  el;iy 
uiult'iiviiig,  tlioii.L;ii  s\vaiii|»y  in  spiin.L,'',  nii^lil  possibly  be 
luiiuhI  Io  soiiio  accomil..  liiixuiiaiil  <^iass  ami  inimiiKTabk' 
boirios  j^row  uj>  ami  npoii  in  tho  biicl' simnmTtime. 

Tlio  post  rcsoiiib'.i's  llioso,  bi'fore  dcscribi'd.  and  dilVcrs 
only  in  liaviii.Li;  two  watcli-towcrs.  It  is  surrounded  by  a 
pickot,  and  duiiiit^  our  stay  tlie  j^atc  was  always  shut  at 
night,  and  Indians  cxcUulcd  whon  present  in  largo  num- 
bers. J^elbro  our  arrival  a  "watch"  had  been  kept  regu- 
larly at  niglit,  for  reasons  that  will  afterward  a|>pear.  Tiie 
log  building  occupied  by  us  formed  a  part  of  one  side  ol 
the  fort  S(|uare.  The  windows  of  our  room  were  of  seal- 
gut,  and,  as  the  days  were  now  about  two  hours  in  length, 
our  light  inside  was  none  of  the  best.  We  slept  wraj)ped 
up  in  fur-lined  blankets  and  skins,  on  a  platform  raised 
about  two  feet  above  the  floor,  which  latter  wo  had  calked 
with  moss  and  covered  with  straw  and  skins,  Kven  then, 
although  our  room  w'as  generally  warm  enough,  the  floor 
was  sometimes  intensely  cold.  1  once  hung  up  some  damj) 
cloth  to  dry;  near  the  rafters  it  steamed,  within  a  foot  of  the 
ground  it  froze  firmly,  with  long  icicles  hanging  therefrom. 
The  air  near  the  floor  has  shown  a  temperature  of  -|-4'^ 
when  theoipper  part  of  the  room  was  +  00°  or  +  (»5°  Fahr. 

Our  supply  of  water  was  obtained  from  a  hole  kept  con- 
stantly open — or  as  open  as  nature  would  allow  it  to  be — 
through  the  ice  of  the  Yukon,  at  a  distance  of  a  quarter  of 
a  mile  from  the  post.  The  "  water-sledge"  was  one  of  the 
'iistitutions  of  the  place,  and  a  large  barrel  was  taken  down 
and  filled  with  water — and  a  irood  deal  of  broken  ice — and 
brought  back  for  the  supply  of  the  station.  It  was  gener- 
ally dragged  by  men,  and  sometimes  by  Indian  women,  as 
it  would  have  taken  more  dogs  than  the  place  possessed  to 
move  it.     It  may  very  naturally   be  asked,  Does  not   a 


! 


,Vi:k()N    Ki.sii-'I'kai'S. 


VX, 


from 

cla> 
ily  br 
•riibk' 

lilVors 

i  by  a 

lull  Hi 
nviin- 

.  ro^u- 
The 

lide  of 

dF  scal- 

U>ngtb, 

rnppccl 

[  niiscd 
culkctl 

;u  then, 

ic  iloor 
e  (lump 
i of  the 
re  from. 

of  4-4^ 
Fahr. 
cpt  con- 
to  be — 
larter  of 
,e  of  the 
ill  down 

;e — and 
,s  gener- 

men,  as 

lessed  to 

not  a 


river  \\\n\  (he;  Yukon  freeze  to  the  Ixdloiu  ?  and  the  answer 
i.s,  most  emphatieally,  "  N»>;  excepting  only  in  extremely 
sliallow  places."  \V(!  saw  ie(!  nine  I'eet  thiek  and  upward, 
hut  it  was  not  prochieed  by  the  natural  process  ol"  gradual 
free/in;^f  and  thickening',  but  liail  been  forced  up  on  other  ice 
i)efore  the  river  was  completely  and  lirmly  fro/en.  I  think 
an  avera^ci  of  five  feet  of  ici;  will  i()rm  when;  tln;re  issulli- 
cient  de[>th  of  water.  Its  universal  covering  of  snow  has, 
iloubtless,  tiieelfect  of  preventin<^  the  f(;rmation  of  extnunc- 
ly  thick  ice  ;  the  current  of  the  river  ha:i  the  same  elle(;t. 

I  have  l)efore  nuMitioned  the  In('.iau  mode  of  fishiief 
throu<rh  lioles  in  the  ice,  ])Ut  had  not  been  pre[)ar(;(l  to  see 
it   practiced   on    the   large  scale  comnu^n  on  the  Yukon. 


FISU-TUAPS  ON   THE   YUKON. 


Early  in  the  winter  large  piles  or  stakes  had  bern  driven 
down  through  the  ice  to  the  bottom  of  the  river;  to  these 
were  affixed  traps,  consisting  simply  of  a  wicker-work  fun- 
nel leading  into  a  long  basket,  not  unlike  the  eel-pots  to  be 
seen  on  the  Thames,  but  on  a  larger  scale.  Oblong  holes 
above  them  were  kept  open  through  the  ice  by  frequent 


■i' 


t  1 


I »' 


■'  iSf^  ; 


I9t) 


W  1 N  T  K  U    S  K  K  T  <;  J 1 1  N  <  i  . 


tm   ' 


ih    i 


;i-*. 


[r  , 
ii-i 


brnaking,  ami  soinetirnos  a  great  nmnber  of  "  whitf-fish  " 
and  a  largo  black-lisli  (known  by  tlio  Kussians  as  \<t/un(i) 
wero  taken,  arul  wo  foil  in  for  a  share.  Tiio  last-named  is 
rnaiidy  used  for  dog-fe(!d,  but  its  very  ricli  and  oily  liver 
was  much  eaten  by  tlie  liussians,  and  was  not  despised  by  us. 

In  NovembtM'  and  December  I  succeeded  in  making 
sketches  of  the  fort  and  neighborhood  at  times  when  the 
temperature  was  as  low  as  thirty  degrees  below  zero.  It 
was  done,  it  need  not  be  said,  with  dinicnUy,  and  often  by 
ntstdU/ncnls.  Between  every  five  strokes  c^fthe  pencil  I  ran 
about  to  exercise  myself,  or  went  into  our  quarters  for 
warmth.  Several  times  I  skinned  my  fingers,  once  froze 
my  left  car,  which  swelled  up  nearly  to  the  top  of  my  head, 
and  I  was  always  afraid  that  my  prominent  nasal  organ 
would  get  bitten.  The  use  of  water-colors  was  of  course 
impracticable — except  when  I  could  keep  a  pot  of  warm 
water  on  a  small  fire  by  my  side — a  thing  done  by  mc  on 
two  or  three  occasions  when  engaged  at  a  distance  from  the 
post.  Even  inside  the  house  the  spaces  near  the  windows 
— as  well  as  the  floor — were  often  below  freezing-point. 
Once,  forgetful  of  the  fact  (and  it  is  a  fact  of  which  you  do 
become  forgetful),  I  mixed  some  colors  up  with  water  that 
had  just  stood  near  the  oven,  and  wetting  a  small  brush, 
commenced  to  apply  it  to  my  drawing-block.  Before  it 
reached  the  paper  it  was  covered  with  a  skin  of  ice,  and 
simply  scratched  the  surface,  and  I  had  to  give  up  for  the 
time  being.  One  of  our  number  going  into  a  store-house 
to  do  some  carpenter's  work,  put  a  large  iron  nail  between 
his  lips,  to  hold  it  for  a  moment,  and,  before  he  thought 
any  tiling  more  about  it,  found  them  glued  together,  and 
had  to  go  and  thaw  himself  out  by  the  fire! 

The  effect  of  intense  cold  on  our  stores  in  the  magazine 
was  a  very  interesting  study  ;  our  dried-apples  were  a  mass 
of  rock,  and  had  to  be  smashed  up  with  an  axe,  our  molasses 


FUOZKN     PUUVISIUNS  —  CoMUIST     UaV.       i\ll 


rl 


■fish 

tlimu) 

110(1  is 
liver 

by  us. 

Hiking 

Ml  the 

•o.     It 

ten  by 

1  I  niii 

lts  for 

[}  froze 

y  head, 

[  organ 
course 

f  wjirin 

:  me  on 

lom  the 
iiulows 

g-point. 
you  do 
tcr  that 
1  brush, 
cfore  it 
ice,  and 
for  the 
c-house 
etween 
thought 
ler,  and 


lagazine 
[e  a  mass 
Imol  asses 


formed  a  tliick  bhick  paste,  and  no  knife  we  liad  would  cut 
a  slice  of  ham  Irom  the  bone  till  it  was  well  thawed  in  our 
warmer  room.  Our  j)reserved  meats  would,  with  a  eontin- 
uutiun  of  those  limes,  have  been  preserved  forever,  and  would 
have  made,  as  Kane  says,  excellent  "  canister  shot.''  After 
purchasing  grouse  or  hares  from  the  Indians,  they  would 
remain  uneaten,  for  a  month  or  longer  j)eriod,  in  as  good 
condition  ns  ever,  aiid  there  was  no  fear  of  their  getting  too 
"  high  "  in  that  climate. 

Our  coldest  day  for  the  whole  season  occurred  in  De- 
cember. On  the  2Gth  of  November  the  (hermomcter  fell 
suddenly  from  the  comparatively  rncderate  temperature 
of  4-2°  to  —18°,  and  continued  lowering  steadily,  day  by 
day,  till  it  reached  (on  the  5th  December)  +58°  Fahr.,  or 
nindi)  (h'tjrrvs  hdow  freezing.  But  the  weather  was  lovely  : 
no  wind  blew  or  snow  fell  during  the  whole  time,  and  we 
did  not  feel  the  cold  as  much  as  at  many  other  times. 
Meantime  the  barometer  rose  rapidly,  and  stood  at  sliglitly 
above  thirty  inches  on  our  coldest  day. 

On  the  7th  of  the  same  month  the  barometer  fell  consid 
erably,  the  thermomeicr  rose  to  —24°,  and  later,  —16^ 
when  snow  fell  thickly.  The  spirit-thermometer  used  by 
myself  (although  by  a  San  Francisco  maker)  agreed  perfect- 
ly with  a  standard  mercurial  thermometer  supplied  by  tlu 
Smithsonian  Institute  as  far  down  as  —40°  (below  which, 
as  the  reader  doubtless  knows,  a  mercurial  instrument  is  ol 
no  further  value) :  other  thermometers  showed  a  much  low- 
er temperature ;  one,  in  the  hands  of  an  explorer  then  trav- 
elling up  to  Nulato,  showed  on  the  5th  a  temperature  ol 
—  68°,  but  this  was  not  a  reliable  instrument. 

A  few  extracts  from  my  journal  will  give — in  perhaps 
the  briefest  form — an  insight  into  some  other  of  our  expe- 
riences at  this  time : 

Nov.  X'^th  (temperature  at  sunrise  —16°  F.).  —  Labarro. 


at 


I     l 


i 


(!  ' 


u 


198 


S  L  E  D  G  E  -  T  R  A I N  —  D I N  N  E  R  -  r  A  li  T  y 


til 


i! 


m 


\U 


m  ^4 

m  5 


with  Indians,  started  down  to  bring  up  another  load  fiom 
Unalachlect,  an(i  the  Russians  accompanied  him.  No  less 
than  ten  sledge-i  were  employed,  and  the  court-yard  pre- 
sented a  lively  scene,  the  men  chattering  with,  or  bidding 
adieu  to  their  friends,  shouting,  and  dragging  their  dogs  to 
the  "narta"  (sledge);  the  dogs  impatient,  and  ever  and 
again  trying  to  make  a  break  for  the  frozen  river.  Uere 
and  there  one  was  found  who  didn't  want  to  go  at  ull,  and 
was  seized  by  the  scruff  of  the  neck,  and  half  carried,  whin- 
ing piteously  the  while,  to  his  harness,  which  h.e  then  tried 
to  chew  to  pieces.  At  last  all  was  ready,  and  the  fort  gate 
opened ;  they  ran  down  the  incline  made  in  the  bank,  and 
were  soon  lost  to  sight  in  the  distance,  their  liglit  loads  en- 
abling their  drivers  often  to  ride,  and  make  quick  time. 
They  would  not  r  turn  quite  so  pleasantly. 

19th  (temp.  —32°). — Small  supplies  begin  to  arrive. 
"  Larrione,"  a  Co-yukon,  and  his  brat,  who  carried  a  gun 
twice  his  own  length,  brought  us  sweet  fat  melted  into  birch- 
bar^:  boxes  and  some  Arctic  grouse  (ptarmigan),  and  we,  of 
course,  returned  the  coHipliment,  and  both  paid  them  and 
gave  them  some  tea  and  bread. 

This  day  we  gave  a  dinner-party  to  "  Ivan,"  the  bidarshik, 
and  his  clerk  "  lagor."  Ivan,  a  half-breed,  had  been  promo- 
ted to  his  present  position  from  the  fact  that  he  was  a  good 
trader ;  in  other  respects,  he  was  an  ignorant  man,  able  nei- 
ther to  read  nor  write.  We  found  him  a  pretty  good  fellow. 
Our  banquet  of  baked  ptarmigan  and  fried  ham,  pancakes 
(known,  reader,  by  the  poetical  name  of"  flap-jacks  ")  molas- 
ses (known  by  us  as  "  long-tailed  sugar  "),  and  coffee,  pleased 
our  Russian  friends  well,  butour  tea  was  notto  theirstandard. 
They  universally  use  a  very  superior  kind.  In  Petropaulov- 
ski  a  merchant  told  me  that  he  had  once  imported  a  quantit}^ 
of  second-rate  tea,  and  had  to  re-export  it,  for  the  poorest 
Kamchatdale  would  neither  buy  it  nor  take  it  as  a  gift. 


Merky  Christmas. 


199 


!  I 


17 Ih  Decemhrr. 


fance ;  among  tb' 


The  first  arrival  of  Indians  from  a  (lis- 
came  an  old  chief  from  Nuclukayette, 
240  miles  up  the  river.  He  brought  with  him  eight  marten- 
robes  of  t7.'enty-four  skins  each,  and  was  consequently  a  big 
man  with  the  Russians.  We  made  him  some  presents — a 
coat,  a  can  of  powder,  and  some  bulls,  and  a  few  trinkets — 
and  he  harangued  his  companions  in  a  peculiarly  high- 
pitched  voice,  as  is  the  mode  of  the  Upncr  Yukon  Indians. 
Had  we  not  known  that  this  speech  was  in  our  favor,  we 
should  have  supposed  that  he  was  making  a  war  oration  in 
order  to  incite  them  to  murder  and  revenge.  lie  was  not  a 
bad-featured  old  man,  and  our  object  in  making  friends  with 
him  was  for  the  very  good  reason  that  we  should  afterward — 
in  the  spring — pass  his  village,  and  probably  be  glad  to  get 
supplies  froni  him.  I  tickled  his  fancy  by  slipping  a  plug 
of  tobacco  into  his  hand  when  he  had  it  extended  in  a  the- 
atrical manner  in  the  middle  of  his  speech,  like  Brutus  paus- 
ing "  for  a  reply."     Tlio  reply  was  in  this  case  satisfactory. 

21st. — Our  shortest  day,  the  sun  rose  at  10"40  a.m.,  and 
set  soon  after  12'30  p.m.  The  interval  is  given  correctly,  but 
we  had  no  "  Greenwich  time  "  to  go  by,  and,  therefore,  it  is 
only  the  duration  of  sunlight  that  is  to  be  depended  upon. 

2bth. — Merry  Christmas !  not  the  first  by  a  good  many 
that  I  had  spent  away  from  home  and  kindred.  We  all 
tried  to  be  jolly,  and  were  moderately  successful,  yet  there 
was  a  slight  "  back  current"  of  regret,  and  a  tinge  of  mel- 
ancholy in  our  proceedings.  We  decorated  our  room  with 
flags  and  Indian  trading-goods,  and  spruce-fir  brush,  in  place 
of  holly  ;  got  out  the  newest  and  brightest  of  our  tin  plates 
and  pewter  spoons,  raised  a  big  fire  of  logs — in  the  oven  ! 
and  Dall  set  to  work  vigorously  in  the  manufacturs  of  gin- 
gerbread and  pies,  but  it  could  not  quite  put  out  of  mind 
the  dear  ones  at  home,  and  what  we  well  knew  they  were 
about.     We  again  had  our  Russian  friend  lagor  with  us, 


m 


II 


200 


Bill   of  Fake. 


but  the  "  bidarsliik"  was  away  on  a  trip.  Our  little  com- 
pany was  composed  of  Ketchum,  a  jolly  New  Brunswicker; 
Labargc,  a  French  Canadian,  who  had  lived  in  thf»  States  most 
of  his  days,  and  was  a  gay,  free-heai-ted  fellow,  the  favorite 
of  all ;  Dall,  a  Bostonian,  an  enthusiastic  collector  and  stu- 
dent of  natural  history,  always  ready  to  assist  to  the  best  of 
his  power,  and  myself  Our  Indian  servant,  Kuriler,  might 
have  passed  for  a  liussian,  as  he  had  been  brought  up  in 
the  fort,  and  spoke  the  patois  of  the  empL^yes  better  than 
his  own  tongue.  lie  was  over  six  feet  high,  very  steady 
and  good-tempered,  a  pretty  fair  cook,  and  a  good  shot,  and 
had  only  one  failing.  He  could  never  resist  shooting  at 
any  thing  where  there  was  the  most  remote  chance  of  hit- 
ting it,  even  though  it  were  a  crow  or  a  gull.  As  long  as 
his  powder  h(ild  out — and  we  were  obliged  to  put  him  on 
allowance — he  would  blaze  away  at  the  slightest  provoca- 
tion, and,  like  the  Indians  of  the  whole  course  of  the  river, 
was  very  fond  of  saluting  any  arrivals  at  the  fort  with  blank 
discharges  from  his  flint-lock  gun. 

But  I  am  forgetting  Christmas.  About  five  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon,  the  table  neatly  covered  with  cotton  drill,  and 
set  out  with  the  "plate"  provided  by  the  company  in  the 
shape  of  iron  mess-kettles,  tin  platters,  and  cups,  was  ready, 
and  we  sat  down  to  a  repast — to  use  a  Californianism — of 
a  "  high-toned  and  elegant  nature." 


BILL  OF  FARE. 


SonpK  A  LA  Yukon. 

Arctic  Grouse — roast. 

Alaska  R k in d e e b  Meat 

NuLATo  Cranberry  Sauce. 

California  (preservkd)  Peas  and  Tomatoes. 

I'lES.       Dried-Apple  Pudding. 

Gingerhread  a  la  Dall.        Ickd  Cheese. 

Coffee.        Tea.        Iced  VVateb. 


Aurora — Temperatures. 


201 


Winding  up  with  a  limited  supply  of  rum  punch,  and  pipes 
ad  lihitam! 

Not  a  bad  dinner  of  itself;    the   iced  cheese  was   a 
novelty  I  can  recommend,  only  the  traditional  pudding  was 


missing. 


We  passed  the  evening  singing  and  reciting.  Dall  read 
an  original  poem,  and  I  brought  out  a  MS.  story  (still  there !) 
entitled  the  "  Missing  Mummy  !"* 

21th. — Just  as  we  were  turning  in  for  the  night  a  fine 
auroral  display  in  the  N.W.  was  announced,  and  we  all 
rushed  out  to  witness  it  from  the  roof  of  the  tallest  build- 
ing in  the  fort.  It  was  not  the  conventional  arch,  but  a 
graceful,  undulating,  ever-changing  "snake"  of  electric 
light ;  evanescent  colors,  pale  as  those  of  a  lunar  rainbow, 
ever  and  again  flitting  through  it,  and  long  streamers  and 
scintillations  moving  upward  to  the  bright  stars,  which  dis- 
tinctly shone  through  its  hazy,  ethereal  form.  The  night 
was  beautifully  calm  and  clear,  cold,  but  not  intensely  so,  the 
thermometer  at  -f-16°.  A  second  one  was  seen  by  us  on 
the  13th  January  (1867),  which  had  the  arched  form,  but 
not  of  that  exact  nature  which  has  been  so  often  represent- 
ed ;  and  later  we  witnessed  other  displays,  though  not  so 
frequently  as  wo  had  expected. 

The  new  year  of  1867  began  cold,  and,  with  some  varia- 
tions in  the  interval,  reached  as  low  as  —49°  on  the  15th. 
January  was  our  coldest  month,  and  included  three  days  in 
which  the  thermometer  showed  a  temperature  below  the 
freezing-point  of  mercury ;  but  although  the  mean  tempera- 
ture of  the  month  was  lower,  the  exceptional  days  in  Decem- 
ber had  been  even  more  intensely  cold,  In  December  there 
were  six  days  in  which  the  thermometer  fell  below  the 

*  Our  men  at  Unnlachleet  or«ranizc>(l  some  private  theatricals,  and  an 
original  pieco,  called  "Roderick  Doo,  and  how  He  was  Done,"  was  played 
with  great  success. 


,'« 


i     I 


202 


Supplies. 


lil  .; 


freezing-point  of  mercury ;  eleven  such  days  occurred  dur- 
ing tlie  winter. 

Our  supplies  from  the  resources  of  the  country,  though 
very  variable,  were  not  at  times  inconsiderable  ;  occasional > 
ly  v/e  were  down  to  flour  "  strait,"  but  more  commonly  got 
enough  of  either  Arctic  grouse,  hares,  or  fish.  Very  little 
deer-meat  came  in  for  several  months.  We  carefully  pre- 
served the  white  soft  skins  of  the  hares  to  cover  our  blankets, 
and  all  of  us  there  luxuriated  in  such  by  night.  It  takes 
forty  to  cover  an  ordinary  blanket.  Our  indefatigable 
(Quartermaster,  Mr.  Dyer,  looking  ahead  for  the  future,  got 
together  at  the  end  of  winter  about  800  of  these  skins.  It 
must  not,  however,  be  supposed  that  our  small  party  had 
eaten  that  number  of  hares !  The  larger  part  of  them  were 
purchased  from  the  Indians,  who  were  ready  enough  to  sell 
us  the  skins,  but  preferred  to  eat  the  meat  themselves. 

Many  an  excursion  on  the  frozen  river  was  made  by  us, 
many  a  visit  to  the  fish-traps,  or  to  the  snares  set  in  the 
woods  by  the  Indian  women  of  the  fort.  The  river  at 
Nulato  is  by  measurement, //'07>i  hanh  to  hank,  a  mile  and  a 
quarter,  and  to  an  island  opposite  the  station  1000  yards ; 
and  often  did  we  cross  it  in  pursuit  of  health,  exercise, 
natural  history  specimens,  our  daily  food,  or  for  sketching 
purposes.  A  large  log-building  was  put  up  at  a  mile  from 
the  post,  and  was  intended  to  serve  as  a  telegraph  station ; 
we  all,  more  or  less,  took  part  in  the  erection  of  this  build- 
ing.    Some  future  traveller  may  reap  the  benefit. 

The  principal  event  of  the  winter  was,  undoubtedly,  the 
trip  made  by  Ketchum  and  Labarge  from  Nulato  to  Fort 
Yukon  On  the  2d  March  Labarge  arrived  from  Unalach- 
leet,  bringing  with  him  twenty-two  dogs,  and  "  ukalee,"  or 
dried  salmon — enough  for  twenty-five  or  thirty  days'  use. 
As  it  was  necessary  to  keep  all  of  this  for  the  trip,  it  was 
no  easy  matter  to  feed  so  many  hungry  dogs ;  nevertheless, 


Principal  Winter  Trip. 


20:5 


us. 


r,  the 
Fort 
alacb- 
^e,"  or 
s'  use. 
it  was 
leless, 


we  were  determined  they  should  start  in  good  condition. 
We  therefore  got  together  every  eatable  thing  that  was 
available,  and  made  a  soup  for  them,  as  the  Russians  also  do 
at  times,  of  oil,  fish,  scraps  of  meat,  bran,  and  rice.  We 
even  sacrificed  our  last  beans  for  their  benefit,  ond  found — 
contrary  to  Dr.  Kane's  experience  —  that  they  woitld  eat 
them  when  properly  softened.  This  concoction  was  stewed 
slowly  on  a  moderate  fire,  and  when  ready,  was  allowed  to 
cool  partially;  it  was  then  turned  into  a  long  wooden  trough, 
round  which  the  dogs  scrambled  and  fought,  until  the  last 
morsels  and  drops  were  licked  up.  It  evidently  suited 
them ;  they  fattened  on  it. 

Two  Ingelete  Indians,  who  had  promised  to  accompany 
Ketchum,  backed  out  at  the  last  moment,  doubtless  afraid 
of  travelling  so  far  from  their  own  villages  ;  and  their  place 
was  filled  by  Co-yukons,  with  the  addition  of  two  boys, 
one  of  whom  proved  the  best  of  the  batch.  At  last,  on  the 
11th,  all  their  preparations  were  made,  and  they  started 
with  four  sledges ;  one  of  these  being  exclusively  filled  with 
dried  fish,  and  another  with  the  lighter  necessaries.  We 
all  feared  that  the  trip  had  been  attempted  too  late ;  snow 
had  but  recently  fallen,  and  the  surface  of  the  river  was  in 
as  soft  a  condition  as  it  had  been  in  the  early  winter.  We 
gave  them  a  good  start,  helping  the  sledges  through  the  soft 
snow,  while  Dyer  almost  brought  down  one  of  the  old 
watch-towers  by  firing  off  a  rusty,  unused  piece  of  artillery 
which  he  found  lying  there.  The  result  of  the  trip  I  must 
leave  to  its  proper  place  in  the  narrative. 

In  place  of  interspersing  the  numerous  references  to 
Indians  among  other  matters,  as  in  my  journal,  I  have 
massed  them  together  in  the  succeeding  chapter.  As  In- 
dians come  to  Nulato,  even  from  a  distance  of  several  hun- 
dred miles,  we  had  much  opportunity  of  intercourse  with 
them. 


1 


204 


Co- Yukon  Tkibe. 


m      >p 


'1. 


\\X-\ 


.  ;    i-'-i 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

THE  CO-YUKON  INDIANS. 

Co-yukon  Tribe. — Fashions. — The  Nulato  Massacre. — Incidents  of  the 
Attack. — Indian  Murders. — Mourning  Observances. — "  Wake." — Four- 
post  Coffins. — Superstitions. —  "  Corralling  "  deer. — News  travels  fast. — 
Furs  t'.nd  Trading. — Indian  Women. — Indian  "  Goggles." — Children's 
Dolls. 

The  Co-yukon  is  the  largest  tribe  on  the  Yukon  River, 
and  extends  virtually  from  the  co.\fluence  of  the  Co-yukuk 
River  to  Nuclukayette,  at  the  junction  of  the  Tanana  with 
the  Yukon  ;  for,  although  some  of  the  intervening  tribes 
have  local  names,  yet  they  .'peak  one  dialect,  and  may  fair- 
ly be  considered  as  one  people.  They  also  inhabit  the 
banks  of  the  Co-yukuk  and  other  interior  rivers. 

In  general  appearance  they  somewhat  resemble  the  In- 
geletes  before  mentioned,  but  have  a  wilder  and  more 
ferocious  cast  of  feature.  The  true  Co-yukon  dress  is  Ji 
doubled-tailed  coat,  one  tail  before,  and  one  behind.  If 
the  reader  will  imagine  a  man  dressed  in  two  swallow-tail 
coats,  one  of  them  worn  as  usual,  the  other  covering  his 
stomach  and  buttoned  behind,  he  will  get  some  idea  of  this 
garment !  Owing  to  intertribal  commerce,  Malemute  cloth- 
ing is  much  seen  on  the  Yukon  '.  but  the  style  just  men- 
tioned is  regarded  as  a  Co-yukon  fashion,  and,  with  various 
modifications,  is  adopted  by  the  other  tribes  on  the  Upper 
Yukon  for  at  least  a  thousand  miles  of  its  course.  The 
women's  dress  is  more  squarely  cut ;  and  they  adopt  very 
much  a  long  ornament  of  Hy-a-qua  shells  {Denialium),  ob- 
tained from  both  the  trading  companies  on  the  river.    This 


NuLATo  Massacre. 


2nr. 


is  worn  on  the  nose,  and  runs  through  a  hole  made  in  the 
cartihige  between  the  nostrils.  Strange  to  say,  higher  up 
the  river,  as  will  be  mentioned  hereafter,  it  is  the  men  ex- 
clusively who  adopt  this  ornament.  The  Co-yukon  winter 
dwellings  are  under-ground,  the  same  as  those  already  de- 
scribed. 

These  people  are  much  feared  by  surrounding  tribes,  and 
gave  the  Kussians  much  trouble  in  the  early  history  of 
Nulato.  Behind  the  post  there  is  a  small  burial-ground, 
where  lies  one  brave  Englishman,  a  lieutenant  of  our  navy, 
and  a  member  of  Captain  (now  Admiral)  Collinson's  ex- 
pedition, who,  in  the  search  for  Sir  John  Franklin,  met 
his  death  at  the  hands  of  these  Indians.  The  narrative 
of  this  occurrence,  as  learned  from  the  Russians,  is  as  fol- 
lows: 

Lieutenant  Barnard  was  landed  at  St.  Michael's  on.  Oc- 
tober 12, 1850,  and  remained  there  till  the  commander  of 
the  post  at  Nulato  came  down  in  the  early  winter.  He  then 
accompanied  this  Russian  up  to  the  Yukon,  travelling  there 
by  the  route  used  by  ourselves.  Mr.  Adams,  an  assistant 
surgeon,  R.  N.,  and  one  seaman,  were  left  at  St.  Michael's. 
On  arriving  at  Nulato,  Lieutenant  Barnard  dispatched  one 
of  the  employes  of  the  fur  company  and  an  Indian  to 
Co-yukuk  to  make  some  inquiries.  The  Russian,  on  arrival 
there,  fell  asleep  on  his  sledge,  and,  in  the  absence  of  his 
Indian  servant,  was  killed  by  the  Co-yukons.  The  Indian, 
who  had  but  gone  a  little  way  to  obtain  water,  on  his  re- 
turn found  his  master  dead,  and  immediately  ran  away 
affrighted.  The  others  beckoned  him  back,  saying  they 
had  no  intention  of  injuring  him.  He,  believing  them,  re- 
turned, and,  as  he  approached,  was  shot  by  arrows,  and  kill- 
ed also. 

The  murderers,  numbering,  it  is  said,  more  than  a  hun- 
dred men,  then  started  down  for  Nulato.     About  forty 


fiJ 


I 


200 


NuLATo  Massacre. 


\i 


\ 


K    'H  S 


1^1 


H 


If 


hH*' 


■\  ^ 


Nulato  Indians  were  congregated  in  some  under-ground 
houses  near  the  mouth  of  the  Nuhitt)  Kiver,  and  not  more 
than  a  mile  from  the  post.  The  Co-yukons  surrounded 
these  dwellings,  heaped  wood,  broken  canoes,  paddles,  and 
snow-shoes  over  the  entrance  and  smoke-holes,  and  tlion  set 
them  on  fire.  All  of  the  unfortunate  victims  below  were 
suffocated,  or  shot  in  attempting  to  escape.  Only  five  or 
six  solitary  Nulatos  arc  now  in  existence. 

Early  the  next  morning  the  Co-yukons  swarmed  into 
the  court-yard  of  the  fort,  which  then  had  no  picket-fence 
surrounding  it.  A  fatal  security  reigned  among  the  Eus- 
sians,  and  they  had  not  even  secured  th*3  doors ;  it  is  said 
that  an  Indian  woman  in  the  fort  knew  of  the  occurrence 
of  the  night  before,  but  was  afraid  to  impart  her  knowledge 
to  the  others.  Finding  the  commander  outside,  they  stab- 
bed him  in  the  back  repeatedly.  He  lived  for  a  few  min- 
utes, only  just  managing  to  stagger  into  his  own  doorway. 
The  Indians  then  rushed  into  the  room  where  Barnard  and 
another  man,  an  interpreter,  were  still  lying  on  their  beds. 
They  jumped  up  and  grasped  their  guns  and  pistols.  The 
Englishman  fired  several  shots,  but  without  much  effect,  and 
a  powerful  struggle  ensued.  His  doubl  j  gun  was  afterward 
found  broken  in  the  stock.  At  last  numbers  overpowered 
him,  and  they  threw  him  on  the  bed,  stabbing  him  re- 
peatedly.    The  interpreter  was  also  severely  wounded. 

As  they  came  out  from  this  house  a  Russian  shot  at  them 
from  the  building  opposite  through  a  hole  in  one  of  the  gut 
windows.  Instantly  an  Indian  raised  his  bow  and  arrow 
in  position,  when  the  Russian  again  fired  and  shot  him  so 
dead  that  he  fell  with  the  bow  and  arrow  stiff  in  his  grasp. 
The  others  immediately  dispersed. 

An  Indian  "  lofka "  was  ai  once  dispatched  to  St.  Mi- 
chael's with  a  letter  for  Mr.  Adams,  the  surgeon  there.  This 
native  put  the  paper  in  his  skin  boot,  and  was  on  the  road 


k 


Mystery   of  tue  Uutciieuy. 


207 


confronted  by  the  Co-yukons,  who  examined  his  bhmkets 
und  clolhes;  they,  however,  overlooked  his  boots,  and  did 
not  therefore  discover  his  ru^c.  Mr.  Adams  at  once  start- 
ed np,  but  arrived  too  hate  to  be  of  any  assistance.  The 
cross  and  inscribed  board  on  the  grave,  put  up  by  this 
gentleman,  were  last  summer  (1867)  in  good  preserva- 
tion. 

The  con  rnander  of  Nulato  is  said  to  have  ill-used  these 
Indians,  but  their  reason  for  this  wholesale  butchery  is  in- 
volved in  mystery.  Admiral  Collinson  very  kindly  put 
his  notes  of  this  transaction  at  my  disposal,  and  I  found  no 
essential  difference  in  the  two  versions  of  this  sad  story, 
excepting  only  as  to  whether  the  Indian  murders  preceded 
or  followed  those  of  the  white  men. 

We  heard  of  recent  brutal  murders  amoncj  themselves; 
and  although  we  got  along  well  enough  with  them,  they 
are,  undoubtedly,  a  wilder  and  more  savage  race  than  those 
of  the  coast.  In  the  autumn  of  1865  an  Indian  of  this 
tribe  went  hunting  in  the  mountains  with  two  men,  broth- 
ers, inhabitants  of  the  same  village  as  himself.  In  the 
woods  he  got  them  apart  on  some  pretense,  and  succeeded 
in  killing  both.  He  returned  to  the  village,  seized  their 
possessions  in  fish  and  furs,  and  bullied  the  widow  of  one 
of  them  into  living  with  him.  Some  of  the  murdered  men's 
relatives  came  from  a  distance  to  punish  this  monster,  but 
he  learned  of  their  approach  in  time,  and  escaped  to  the 
forest,  taking  the  woman  with  him  ;  up  to  the  time  of  our 
leaving  he  had  not  been  caught,  but  will  eventually  meet 
his  reward,  as  the  Indians  round  were  much  exasperated  at 
his  villainy. 

These  tribes  mourn  for  the  dead  one  year,  and  the  wom- 
en during  that  time  often  gather  together,  talking  and  cry- 
ing over  the  deceased.  At  the  expiration  of  that  term  they 
have  a  feast  or  "  wake,"  and  the  mourning  is  over.     One 


208 


M  O  U  U  X  I  N  (i    O  US  K  U  V  AN  C  KS. 


such  entertainment  took  place  at  Nulato  during  our  stay, 
and  by  special  request wf."  -"owed to  beheld  in  the  gener- 
al barrack  of  the  fort.  .  ./as  to  commemorate  the  death 
of  a  Co-yukou  child,  and  was  a  queer  mixture  of  jollity 
and  grief. 

The  poor  old  mother  and  some  of  her  friends  wept  bit- 
terly, while  the  guests  were  gayly  dancing  round  a  painted 
pole,  on  which  strings  of  beads  and  some  magnificent  wolf- 
skins were  hung.  They  kept  up  singing,  dancing,  and 
feasting  to  a  fashionable  hour  of  the  morning ;  and  one  lit- 
tle savage,  who  bad  been  shouting  at  the  top  of  his  lungs 


i 


II    i: 


CO-yUKON   FOUli-POST  COFFIN. 

vbr  hours,  got'  up  the  next  day  without  any  voice  at  all — a 
case  of  righteous  retribution.  The  decorations  of  the  pole 
were  divided  among  those  who  took  part  in  the  "  wake." 
So  vigorously  did  they  dance,  that  the  old  oven,  used  in 
warming  the  building,  shook  to  its  foundations,  and  part  of 
it  fell  in. 


U'i 


r  stay, 

gcner- 

death 

jollity 

'pt  bit- 
)uintL'(l 
t  wolf- 
g,  and 
Dne  lit- 
i  lungs 


t  all — a 
;he  pole 
wake." 
used  in 
.  part  of 


I  ;u  H 


M 


I) 


"Coi!  i:a  1,1,1  N'(t"    I)i:i:iL 


211 


■i/H^ 


I 


k«^" 


ul'C 


riM 


riicy  do  not  inter  tlio  (.kad.  '»ut  j)iit  tik-in  in  oblong  box- 
es, raised  un  ])o.sts,  sonietinies  decorated  with  strips  of  skin 
hanging  over  tiieiii,  sometimes  willi  the  possessions  of  tin- 
deceased  (as  a  "  baidarrc,"  or  other  canoi',  \vitii  paddles. 
etc.)  on  the  top  of  the  box.  Small  possessions  are  often 
put  inside  with  the  corpse.  The  tomb  can  not  be  better 
described  than  as  a  four-post  collin.  Tiicse  are  common 
to  the  coast  tribes  also. 

They  have  certain  sujierstitions  witli  regard  to  tlic  bones 
of  animjds,  wdiieh  they  will  neither  tlirow  on  the  fire  nor  to 
the  dogs,  but  save  them  in  their  houses  or  caches.  \Vhen 
they  saw  us  careless  in  such  matters,  they  said  it  would  pre- 
vent them  fi'om  catching  or  shooting  successfully.  Also, 
they  will  not  throw  away  their  hair  or  nails,  just  cut  short, 
but  save  thcni,  sometimes  hanging  them  in  packages  to 
the  trees. 

The  mode  of  fisliinnr  throucfh  the  ice  practiced  by  the 
Russians  is  much  in  vogue  with  them,  and  they  also  havr 
an  ingenious  mode  of  catching  reindeer  in  tlie  mountain 
valleys.  A  kind  of  corral,  or  enclosure,  elli))tical  in  form. 
and  open  at  one  end,  is  made  on  a  deer-tiail,  generally 
near  the  outlet  of  a  wood.  The  farther  end  of  the  enclosed 
space  is  barricaded  ;  the  sides  are  built  of  stakes,  with  slip- 
nooses  or  loops  between  them.  Herds  of  deer  are  driven 
in  from  the  woods,  and,  trying  to  break  from  the  trap,  gen- 
erally run  their  heads  into  the  nooses,  tighten  them,  and  so 
get  caught,  or  are  shot,  while  still  bewildered  and  running 
from  side  to  side.  Near  the  opening  it  is  common  to  erect 
})iles  of  snow,  with  "  port-holes,"  through  which  natives 
hidden  shoot  at  the  passing  deer. 

It  is  surprising  in  this  thinly-inhabited  country,  how 
fast  news  of  any  kind  will  travel  from  tribe  to  tribe. 
Should  a  vessel  call  at  St.  Michael's,  in  a  week  or  two  it 
will  be  known  on  throe  parts  of  the  Yukon.     During  win- 


k 


212 


News  Travels  P'ast. 


t  ^n 


w 


ter  false  rumors  reached  our  men  at  the  coast  station  that 
we  had  been  attacked  by  Indians,  and  Captain  Ennis  imme- 
diately sent  up,  ofEuring  assistance.  On  the  other  hand,  re- 
ports, equally  false,  reached  us  with  regard  to  the  coast 
])arties,  all  being  probably  caused  by  some  petty  disagree- 
ment, exaggerated  from  mouth  to  mouth. 

We  once  said,  jokingly,  that  if  supplies  did  not  come  in 
faster,  we  should  have  to  eat  up  the  plump  babies  of  the 
settlement.  Before  many  days  elapsed,  it  was  spread  all 
over  the  country  that  we  were  cannibals,  and  devoured 
children  wholesale !  and  many  a  serious  inquiry  was  made 
about  it.  Generally  speaking,  we  found  it  answered  our 
purpose  to  joke,  sing,  and  affect  gayety  with  them,  but  we 
had  to  be  very  careful  what  statements  we  advanced.  We 
told  them  confidently,  however,  of  the  expected  advent  of 
a  big  steamer  for  the  Yukon,  as,  indeed,  we  ourselves  be- 
lieved at  the  time  ;  but,  unless  some  private  individuals  do 
what  our  company  proposed  to  do,  I 'am  afraid  the  Indians 
will  think  us  terrible  liars.  Many  of  them  went  down  to 
see  our  little  steamer,  then  at  the  mouth  of  the  Unalachleet 
River,  and  it  excited  a  good  deal  of  interest,  as  they  spread 
the  news  throughout  the  country.  Few  individuals,  even 
of  the  Co-yukons,  have  ever  tasted  "  fire-water."  How 
long  that  happy  state  of  things  will  last  remains  to  be  seen. 
Their  smoking  habits  are  the  same  as  those  of  the  coast 
peoples,  modified,  of  course,  by  the  introduction  of  pipes 
of  a  larger  growth,  introduced  by  the  trading  companies 
and  ourselves. 

The  women  are  often  passably  pretty,  and,  when  living 
in  the  forts,  often  improve  in  habits.  They  are  there 
sometimes  allowed  a  "  steam-bath."  They  are  very  fond 
of  playitig  together,  behaving  at  such  times  like  children, 
snow-balling  each  other,  rolling  each  other  in  the  snow,  or 
sliding  down  banks  on  sledges  or  snow-shoes.      I  think 


Furs  and  Tkading. 


2l;j 


I  that 
mme- 
id,  re- 
coast 
agree- 

)me  in 

of  the 

sad  all 

soured 

3  made 

ed  our 

but  we 

1.    We 

vent  of 

ves  be- 

luals  do 

Indians 
own  to 
acbleet 
spread 

lis,  even 
IIow 
be  seen, 
le  coast 
of  pipes 
mpanies 

2n  living 
re  tbere 
ery  fond 
children, 
snow,  or 
I  think 


they  treat  their  children  well,  and  the  young  mothers  are 
eertiiinly  very  fond  of  their  first-born. 

One  day  in  summer  Dall  gulhmtly  presented  a  wild  rose 
to  a  young  Indian  damsel.  She  accepted  it  graciously,  but 
did  not  appear  to  know  what  to  do  with  it.  lie  put  it  up 
to  her  nose,  when  she  turned  away  with  a  "  puh !''  as  con- 
temptuous as  Ilamlet's !  It  will  not,  perhaps,  do  to  put 
this  down  as  a  national  trait.  Of  the  furs  obtained  by 
them,  a  portion  only  reached  the  Russian  forts.  Some 
were  accumulated  till  spring,  when  at  Nuclukayette  they 
could  trade  them  to  their  neighbors,  or  to  the  Iludson's 
Bay  Company.  Another  part  of  the  trade  reaches  the 
coast,  and  eventually  the  Tchuktchi  natives,  as  before  men- 
tioned. 

Still,  in  one  season  at  Nulato,  the  Russians  have  taken 
5000  marten,  and  large  quantities  of  beaver,  with  an  occa- 
sional black  or  silver-gray  fox.  They  did  not  trade  guns 
or  ammunition  on  the  Yukon,  and  the  Indians  were  verv 
dissatisfied  with  both  their  tariff  and  goods.  Our  powder 
and  balls,  with  some  additional  supplies  contributed  by 
Dall,  were  invaluable. 

With  regard  to  beads,  it  was  required  that  they  should 
not  be  fragile — a  strong,  large  porcelain  bead  was  the  cor- 
rect thing ;  combs  were  much  desired,  and  looking-glasses 
were  not  bad  things  for  trade ;  cotton  of  various  kinds  was 
much  in  demand,  while  trinkets  went  for  very  little.  They 
commonly  tested  beads  by  rapping  them  sharply  on  wood, 
on  the  table,  etc.  If  they  were  not  broken,  all  was  well. 
Flints  and  steels,  knives  and  scissors,  were  all  in  demand, 
and  soaps  and  matches  would  both  have  been,  could  we 
have  spared  any.  Our  needs  were  chiefly  confined  to  the 
purchase  of  supplies  and  skin  clothing ;  special  services 
were  paid  for  by  larger  rewards,  guns,  blankets,  or  clothing. 

The  Co-yukon  dialect  is,  with  slight  variations,  spoken 


Ilh 


1 

4r ; 

I. 

■t 

■/; 

■u 

i 

b  fi' 


2U 


Indian  Goggles. 


by  tbe  tribes  of  tbe  Middle  and  Lower  Yukon  for  several 
hundred  miles  of  its  course.  The  Ingelete  dialect,  as  be- 
fore mentioned,  is  closely  allied  to  it.  It  appears  to  hr. 
totallij  distinct  from  those  of  tbe  coast  peoples.  In  the  brief 
vocabularies  of  Co-yukon  and  Malemute  words  to  be  found 
in  the  Appendix  (V.),  there  is  hardly  a  word  which  seems 
to  have  a  common  origin.  That  the  coast  natives  of 
Northern  Alaska  are  but  Americanized  Tchuktchis  from 
Asia,  I  myself  have  no  doubt ;  but  where  shall  we  look 
for  the  stock  from  which  the  Yukon  Indians  came  ?  They 
appear  to  be  more  nearly  allied  to  the  true  North  Ameri- 
can Indian.  These  natives  very  constantly  reminded  mo 
ot  Catlin  and  the  older  writers,  and  they  almost  appeared 
like  old  friends. 


CO-YIKON   (iOOOLES. 


In  spring,  the  Co-3'ukons,  in  common  with  all  the  sur- 
rounding tribes,  adopt  wood  "goggles"  when  hunting  or 


PiiEcbcious  Youth. 


21 


u 


travelling.  These  arc  used  to  prevent  the  glare  of  the  sun- 
light on  the  snow  from  produeing  blindness.  These  "spees" 
are  made  of  many  shapes,  all  having  a  narrow  slit,  through 
which  the  wearer  can  see  with  suilieient  distinctness.  We 
wore  colored  glasses  for  the  same  purj^ose. 

For  the  amusement  of  children,  the  women  manufacture 
dolls,  often  very  fair  copies  of  themselves  or  the  men  in 
dress  and  general  appearance.  But  the  children  soon  de- 
velop into  men  and  women ;  and,  at  ten  years  old,  a  boy 
may  possess  and  know  how  to  make  good  use  of  a  gun, 
while  a  girl  at  fifteen  may  have  a  husband,  or,  at  all 
events,  be  setting  snares  Ibr  one  I 


H  1 


w 


216 


Sl'lilNG. 


«{,  - 


ml  V 


R«i'i/.  ..  -f 


m :  i 


.      CHAPTER  XVIII. 

CANOE  JOURNEY. — ASCENT   OF   THE   YUKON. 

Spring. — Tliuw. — Brciik-up  of  the  Yukon. — Preparations  for  Journey. — 
Our  Canoos. — Start. — Dangerous  Condition  of  Kiver. — Its  Size. — 
Current. —  Perilous  Navigation. —  Submerged  Islands. —  Co-yukuk. — 
Bireii-liark  Plect. — Sacliertelontin. — Lagoon. — Nowicargut. — Purchase 
of  Supplies. —  Tooth-brush  Exi)eriences. —  Mcdiciiie-muking. —  Iiuliau 
Dissij)ation. — Child's  birch-bark  Chair. 

Although  snow  covers  the  ground,  and  the  rivers  are 
frozen  for  nearly  eight  months  of  the  year  in  Northern 
Russian  America,  winter  can  hardly  be  said  to  exist  for 
that  time.  As  early  as  April  5  a  thaw  occurred,  and 
though  it  again  got  cooler,  it  proved  to  us  that  spring  was 
fast  approaching.  On  the  9th  flies  made  their  appearance, 
the  court-yard  of  the  post  became  a  swamp,  and,  on  the 
10th,  I  found  the  willows  and  smaller  trees  budding.  The 
Russians  at  last  became  convinced  that  winter  was  over, 
and  commenced  clearing  the  fast-melting  snow  from  the 
roofs  and  yard.  The  houses  leaked  much,  and  trenches 
had  to  be  dug  in  the  enclosure  and  round  the  fort.  It  was 
amusing  to  watch  the  lazy  employes  of  the  fur  .ompany. 
Their  mode  of  proceeding  was  somewhat  as  follows  :  One 
Russian  shovelled  a  few  pounds  of  snow  on  to  a  hide. 
Two  others  then,  with  great  appearance  of  fatigue,  drngged 
it  slowly  to  the  edge  of  the  bank  and  dropped  it  over. 
This  unparalleled  exertion  rendered  it  necessary  for  the 
trio  to  sit  down  and  smoke.  x\fter  an  interval  of  repose, 
and  the  "bidarshik"  making  his  appearance,  with  great 
zeal  and  alacrity  they  started  to  work  again.     The  "bidar- 


K^'.^3^;J&N^ 


Break-Up  of  the  Yukon. 


217 


•ney. — 

Size. — 
ikuk. — 
iirchasc 
•  Imlinn 


2YS  arc 
rtbern 
ist  for 
:d,  and 
ig  "was 
arance, 
on  tlie 
The 
over, 
Dm  the 
rencbes 
It  was 
mpany. 
One 
n,  liide. 
dragged 
it  over, 
for  the 
'  repose, 
h  great 
"bidar- 


sbik,"  satisfied  that  tbey  were  indefatigable  servants  of  the 
company,  went  in  himself  to  take  a  nap,  or  to  play  a  game 
of  cards  with  his  clerk.  They  repented  the  process,  and 
cleared  up  a  few  inches  more  ;  it  was  then  time  to  "  chi 
peat "  (drink  tea),  and  they  adjourned  for  the  purpose. 
Their  mode  of  working  was  on  economical  principles,  each 
doing  as  little  as  he  could ;  the  company  paid  them  in  ex- 
act proportion. 

From  the  11th  to  the  2r)th  of  April  the  weather  got 
cooler,  with  slight  falls  of  snow.  After  the  latter  date, 
however,  the  thermometer  rarely  fell  below  freezing-point, 
and,  by  comparison  with  our  winter  experiences,  it  seemed 
quite  warm.  On  the  28th  of  the  same  month  the  -rst 
goose  from  the  south  arrived,  and  "  Kuriler  "  was  in  his 
element.  lie  frequently  scrambled  across  the  opening  and 
fast-thawing  ice  of  the  river  to  the  island  opposite  our 
station,  remaining  there  all  night,  and  never  returning 
empty-handed. 

On  the  5th  of  May  the  Nulato  River  made  a  decided 
break-up ;  it  had  shown  many  signs  of  it  before,  but  its 
ardor  had  been  nipped  in  the  bud.  This  time  it  burst  in 
good  earnest,  and  on  the  12th  it  opened  still  more,  and  ran 
out  on  the  ioj)  of  the  Yukon  ice  for  more  than  a  mile  iip  the 
great  river.  In  many  places  the  rain  had  bared  the  ice 
from  its  usual  covering  of  snow ;  it  is,  without  doubt,  a 
powerfid  agent  in  breaking  up  these  great  rivers.  The 
general  effect  was  mess  and  confusion ;  the  ice  dirty,  and 
mixed  with  logs  and  debris,  and  the  water,  in  tortuous 
streams,  running  all  over  its  surface.  Several  persons  be- 
longing to  the  fort,  who  had  been  shooting  on  the  island 
opposite,  had  much  difliculty  in  getting  back  ;  and  Ivan, 
the  "  bidarshik."  almost  came  to  grief;  getting  wedged  in 
between  loose  ice,  and  up  to  his  neck  in  water.  He  was 
rescued  by  canoes  from  the  fort.     Indians  have  been  car- 


218 


Appp:aranck  of  the  Yukon. 


I 


1 

! 

1      ^ 

j   ] 

It 

,   { 

i^l 

^1 

f       ' 

m  ' 

i: 

pI 

• 

$: 

m  : 

y:\    . 

■'I,'. 

t 

Wf!f 


ried  away  and  drowned  by  an  unexpected  break-up  of  the 
river,  and  tlie  fisb-traps  are  invariable  swept  away. 

On  the  12th  niusquitoes  made  their  fust  appearance, 
and  on  the  13tli  the  swallows  arrived,  and  wore  flitting 
round  the  fort,  or  building  under  the  eaves  of  the  rocf. 
The  indefatigable  Kuriler  bagged  six  geese,  and,  the  fol- 
lowing day,  ten  more.  The  weather  was  now  so  warm  and 
sunny  that  we  felt  enervated  and  oppressed  by  it. 

19th. — First  real  break-up  of  the  Yukon,  the  ice  coming 
down  in  a  steady  flow  at  the  rate  of  five  or  six  knots  an 
hour.  For  several  days  afterward  this  continued,  and  was 
an  exciting  scene  after  the  monotony  of  the  winter.  A 
constant  stream  of  broken  ice  passed  the  station,  now 
surging  into  mountains  as  it  met  with  some  obstacle,  now 
grinding  and  crashing  on  its  way,  and  carrying  all  before 
it.  Whole  trees  and  banks  were  swept  away  before  its 
victorious  march,  and  the  river  rose  some  fourteen  feet 
above  its  winter  level.  On  the  22d,  a  quantity  of  "  black 
ice,"  i  P.,  ice  discolored  by  some  very  dark-looking  earth, 
went  by.     By  the  2-ith  the  river  was  beginning  to  clear. 

The  varied  conditions  in  which  we  found  the  ice  would 
make  a  very  interesting  study.  Some  of  it  was  beautifully 
clear,  representing  perfect  ice,  while  a  larger  proportion 
seemed  to  be  in  a  sodden,  half  water-logged  state.  One 
variety  appeared  to  be  riddled  or  honey-combed,  while  a 
very  common  kind  appeared  to  be  in  a  rotten,  yet  crj^stal- 
line  condition.  When  this  struck  against  a  second  floating 
lump  it  cracked  into  a  thousand  fragments,  and  there  was 
a  constant  sound  as  of  the  smashing  of  glass.  As  before 
stated,  much  dirt,  and  that  of  many  shades,  was  mingled 
with  the  ice,  and  the  water  was  as  discolored  as  that  of  the 
Thames  at  London.  Much  well-packed  snow  still  remain- 
ed on  the  miniature  floating  bergs ;  and  trees,  Mdiole  or  in 
fragments,  came  down  imbedded  in  them.     The  Kussians 


PUEl'AKATIONS    FOll    JuUUNEV 


210 


often  dragged  quantities  of  tins  drift-wood  ashore,  and  kept 
it  for  fuel  and  building  purposes.  Our  man  Piekett  wan 
sei  to  work  in  the  same  way,  and  succeeded  in  collecting 
a  good  quantity. 

All  was  now  activity,  the  Russians  preparing  for  their 
spring  trading  excursion,  Dall  and  myself  for  our  projected 
trip,  and  Mr.  Dyer  for  his  journey  down  the  river  to  its 
mouths,  where  he  expected  to  meet  Mr.  Everett  Smith — a 
gentleman  of  our  service  employed  in  taking  soundings 
there.  Provisions  and  goods  had  to  be  selected,  weighed 
out,  and  packed,  guns  and  pistols  cleaned,  and  oars  and 
paddles  manufactured  by  the  dozen. 

The  skins  from  our  "  baidarrc  "  and  ]Mr.  Dyer's  three- 
holed  "baidarke"  were  taken  off  their  frames,  repatched  in 
rotten  places,  soaked  in  water,  etc.,  and  then  again  put  on. 
well  oiled,  and  fat  rubbed  into  the  seam  By  the  25th  we 
were  all  ready  and  anxious  to  get  away.  Although  it  was 
i-aining  hard  on  the  morning  of  the  26th,  at  7  a.m.  !Mr. 
Dyer,  with  two  Indians,  left  us  to  descend  the  river,  and  by 
eight  o'clock  the  Russians  and  ourselves  made  our  start  up. 
The  Russians,  with  Indian  workmen,  numbered  eight  per- 
sons, under  the  direction  of  our  friend  "  Ivan,"  the  head 
man  and  trader  of  the  Nulato  Fort.  Their  skin  boat  was 
of  large  size,  had  a  rudder,  mast,  and  large  square-sail :  it 
carried  over  two  tons  of  goods  and  provisions.  Our  craft 
was  a  much  smaller  skin  boat,  yet  carried  five  persons,  a 
tent,  blankets,  cooking  utensils,  and  guns,  two  bags  of 
biscuit  (100  lbs.),  150  lbs.  of  flour,  with  smaller  packages. 
Our  crew  comprised  Kuriler,  as  steersman,  and  two  Indians 
— one  a  representative  of  the  Ingeletes,  the  other  of  the 
Co-yukons.  Dall  and  myself  paddled  usually,  while  the 
others  rowed.  We  also  carried  a  sail,  but  no  rudder; 
Kuriler  steered  us  with  a  paddle,  and  helped  us  along  at 
\he  same  time.     The  river  was  still  full  of  ice  and  drift- 


-JtH 


UH 


S 


[11     >, 

|p 


M 


i'p 


!*«;■   I- 


I-  ^ 

-( 

f: 

li; 


220 


Desckiption  uf  the  Yukon. 


wood,  and  navigation  was  difTiciilt.  The  only  way  of 
ascending  the  stream  was  by  keeping  near,  generally  very 
near  the  banks.  We  had  frequently  to  cross  and  recross 
the  stream  to  get  intj  quieter  water,  and  at  such  times  ex- 
erted ourselves  specially,  so  that  we  might  not  lose  much 
by  the  operation.  As  it  was,  we  usually  drifted  down  half 
a  mile  or  so. 

How  shall  I,  in  few  words,  describe  tliis  immense  stream, 
one  that  our  men  were  wont  to  compare  with  the  Missis- 
sippi !  At  Nulato,  which  is  GOO  miles  above  its  mouths, 
as  before  stated,  it  is,  from  bank  to  bank,  one  mile  and  a 
quarter  wide,  while  in  other  places  it  opens  out  into  la- 
goons four  to  five  miles  in  width,  studded  with  innumera- 
ble islands.  Our  explorers  have  travelled  up  it  1800  miles. 
Its  tributaries — to  be  hereafter  mentioned — would  be  large 
rivers  in  Europe,  and  I  can  therefore  understand  the  proud 
boast  uttered  b}""  a  native  of  its  banks,  and  translated  for 
our  benefit,  "  We  are  not  savages,  we  are  Yukon  Indians !" 

About  a  mile  above  Nulato  steep  cliffs  abut  on  the 
west  side  of  the  river,  showing  a  sand-stone  formation,  with 
shale  intermingled,  and  with  ni  merous  plants  and  ferns 
growing  at  their  base.  About  noon  we  stopped  for  tea ; 
a  fire  was  soon  made  on  a  very  shelving  bank,  not  selected 
from  choice,  but  from  necessity.  A  small  creek  of  limpid 
ice-cold  water  was  near  it,  and  we  enjoyed  a  simple  lunch, 
and  then  resumed  our  trip. 

We  had  proceeded  but  a  short  distance  when  we  came 
to  turns  of  the  river,  round  which  logs,  and  ice,  and  drift- 
wood were  sweeping  at  a  great  rate.  It  was  absolutely 
necessary  for  one  man  at  this  time  to  stand  in  the  bows  of 
the  canoe,  with  a  pole  shod  at  one  end  with  iron,  to  push 
away  the  masses  of  ice  and  tangle  of  drift-wood,  lest  a  col- 
lision should  ensue.  We  saw  large  trees  pass  under  the 
Russians'  canoe,  and  positively  lift  it  for  a  moment  out  of 


y  of 

very 
cross 
s  ex- 
nuch 

half 

'cam, 
^issis- 
•utbs, 
ind  a 
to  la- 
mcra- 
nilcs. 
large 
Droud 
)d  for 
ans !" 
n  tbe 
,  with 
ferns 
'  tea ; 
Iccted 
impid 
[unch, 


came 
drift- 
)lutely 
)WS  of 
)  push 
a  col- 
der the 
out  of 


IIP 

k  liii 

Ui 


UJ 


CO 


o 


«fl 


UJ 


DANGKlirf    OK    TlIK     NAVIGATION. 


22'6 


,1    >» 


\M 


i 


the  water,  iiltliougli  it  weighed  at  least  three  tons,  and  liad 
eight  men  on  board.  This  can  be  undenstood  by  taking 
into  consi(k'ration  the  great  nionientuni  that  a  floating  nuws 
aequires  when  swee])ing  at  the  rate  of  six  or  eiglit  miles  an 
honr,  and  itself  somewhat  sunken  by  the  rapidity  of  the 
current.  Had  the  same  logs  struek  the  canoe  broadside, 
or  direetly  in  the  bows,  in  all  probabdity  a  serious  disaster 
would  have  occurred.  AVe  could  often /'r/  the  ice  and 
logs  rolling  and  scraping  /iiidcr  the  keel  of  our  canoe,  and 
it  was  a  very  uncomfortable  sensation.  It  was  not  the 
thickness  of  a  plank  between  us  and  destruction,  but  simply 
that  of  a  piece  of  seal-skin  an  eighth  or  a  tenth  of  an  inch 
thick.  Still  a  skin  boat  has  its  advantages;  the  tough 
flexible  skin  will  (jive  for  several  inches  without  necessarily 
tearing.  It  is  in  such  a  river  infinitely  safer,  and  will  stand 
more  wear  and  tear  than  the  cedar  canoes  of  British  Co- 
lumbia; and  birch-barks — at  least  while  there  is  yet  a  flow 
of  ice  in  the  water — are  evidently  very  unsafe  craft.  On 
the  other  hand,  we  found  that  the  seams  where  the  skins 
were  sewn  together  were  very  liable  to  rip,  cspceiall}^  on 
the  flat  bottom  of  the  canoe,  when  passing  over  logs  and 
ice,  or  stones  and  "  snags,"  in  shallow  water. 

At  one  of  the  above-mentioned  bluffs  so  difficult  was  it 
to  proceed,  that  the  Russians,  after  vainly  struggling  against 
the  current,  gave  in,  drifted  down  a  little  way,  and  then 
camped.  Our  steersman  grinned,  and  asked  whether  wt> 
also  meant  to  turn  back,  or  whether  we  would  run  all 
risks,  and  try  to  cross  the  great  torrent  into  quieter  water 
by  the  other  bank.  We  immediately  saw  a  brilliant  chance 
of  distinguishing  ourselves,  and  told  him  we  would  pro- 
ceed. The  Russians  had  rather  pooh-poohed  the  notion  of 
Dall  and  myself — both  comparatively  young  men — ever 
reaching  Fort  Yukon  ;  so  we  were  on  our  mettle,  and  pad- 
dled and  rowed  with  great  vigor.     We  had  many  a  close 


1/  i' 


221 


Sun M  K lui  i<:  I)  I s l an  ds. 


sbavc  with  the  floating  ice  and  wood,  and  somctinios  liad 
to  stop  and  di'ift  down  to  let  some  more  tlian  usually  cum- 
bersome mass  pass  on  its  way  ;  but  by  Kuriler's  excellent 
steering  we  crossed  safely,  and  then  travelled  along  the 
bank  I'or  some  distance  ahead  of  our  ^[uHcovitc  friends. 
Nothing  coidd  exceed  the  glee  of  our  Indians,  and  they 
could  not  understand  how  Dall  and  myself  could  show  no 
more  excitement  about  it,  overjoyed  as  wc  evidently  were. 
We  at  length  came  to  a  comparatively  dry  spot  on  some 
low  ground,  and  made  our  camp.  It  was  on  the  east  side 
of  the  river,  and  the  land  was  level  for  some  distance  back. 
It  terminated  at  a  distance  of  thirty  miles  in  the  snow- 
capped range  of  the  T'Kitske  Mountains.  We  had  in- 
eluded  a  tow-line  in  our  ap})aratus,  but  no  tracking  was 
possible  for  a  week  after  this  date ;  many  of  the  lower 
banks  and  islands  were  submerged.  We  erected  our  tents, 
and  indeed  needed  them,  as  it  rained  incessantly. 

27//i. — Started  at  3  a.m.,  and  proceeded  with  rather  less 
difficulty,  finding  the  water  comparatively  quiet  between 
the  numerous  islands.  Many  of  them  were  entirely  sub- 
merged, and  we  floated  over  some  of  tbe  lesser  tree-tops. 
At  noon  wc  arrived  a^.  the  Co-yukuk  village  and  river, 
stopped  at  the  home  of  our  Co-yukon  boatman,  and  bought 
a  large  pike  there  —  a  not  uncommon  fish  on  the  river. 
Hard  by  was  an  Indian  four-post  grave-box  enclosed  with 
rails,  and  a  flag  waving  over  it. 

Near  this  spot  the  "  Co-yukuk  Sofka,"  or  mountain, 
terminated  on  the  river  in  a  very  grand  and  steep  sand- 
stone bluff  of  castellated  appearance,  perpendicular  strata 
taking  the  place  of  the  more  usual  horizontal  formation. 
Round  its  rugged  base  the  water  swept  with  terrific  force, 
and  we  had  again  to  cross  the  river,  which  at  this  point 
makes  a  great  bend  to  the  eastward. 

We  passed  several  small  encampments  of  Indians,  and 


OUtt    TltAVELLlN(J    CoMTAMONS. 


220 


were  accompanied  by  a  fleet  of  canoes,  their  owners  all 
bound  for  tlie  annual  trading-meetings  at  Newicargut  and 
Nuelukayette.  Their  canoes  were  of  birch-bark,  covering 
a  well  constructed  and  liglit  frame  of  willow  and  birch,  and 
varied  in  length  from  eight  to  sixteen  feet,  according  as 
they  were  intended  for  one  or  three  persons.  The  seams 
of  these  frail  barks  are  sewn  with  the  finer  roots  of  spruce- 
fir,  and  are  calked  with  spruce-gum.  When  a  leak  is  dis- 
covered, they  go  ashore,  light  a  small  fire,  warm  the  gum, 
of  which  they  always  carry  a  supply,  turn  the  canoe  bot- 
tom upward,  and  rub  the  healing  balm  in  a  semi-fluid  state 
into  the  seam  until  it  is  again  water-tight.  Single  paddles 
arc  usually  adopted ;  double  ones,  like  those  used  by  the 
Grcenlander  in  his  "  kyack,"  arc  occasionally  seen.  It  is  a 
common  thing  for  them  to  use  no  paddles  at  all  in  shallow 
water,  but  simply  stakes  or  poles  (like  small  stilts)  in  either 
hand ;  and  they  will  sometimes  stand  up  when  progressing 
in  this  way. 

Each  man  had  some  little  dried  meat,  but  trusted  main- 
ly to  finding  something  by  the  way.  They  surrounded 
our  camp  with  hungry  looks ;  our  plan  was  to  give  to  those 
only  who  worked  for  us.  Occasionally  we  allowed  our  In- 
dians, when  fatigued,  to  change  with  some  of  the  owners 
ot  these  birch-barks,  and  so  kept  our  crew  fresh.  Stead}- 
exertion  is  foreign  to  them,  and  they  made  a  great  fuss 
over  any  trifling  blisters  raised  on  their  hands  in  the  un- 
accustomed exertion  of  rowing.  Still  they  behaved  better 
than  I  had  expected,  and  little  Mikeshker,  our  Ingelete, 
was  a  capital  fellow,  the  first  to  volunteer  in  any  thing  that 
was  to  be  done.  Some  of  the  Indians  travelling  up  with 
us  had  cotton-drill  tents  made  by  themselves,  in  imitation 
of  the  Russians ;  our  own  men  usually  rigged  up  our  sail 
into  a  shelter-tent. 

Ivan,  in  the  evening,  gave  us  some  wild-duck  eggs  he 


r^ii 


k 


i 


f  :     ! 
'/  J     - 

f  ■■fv 


,,'H. 


I"  I      i 


fM 


"r 


lit 


226 


SACHEKTiiLONTIN  —  L  AGO  ON. 


had  obtained  in  trading ;  they  were  not  plentiful  at  this 
part  of  the  river,  We  camped  on  the  east  side  of  the  river 
after  a  long  search  for  a  spot  of  dry  land. 

28th. — Made  an  early  start  1  a.m.,  and  crossed  the  river 
three  times,  once  where  it  was  two  miles  wide.  A  light 
breeze  enabled  us  to  use  our  sail  with  fair  effect.  We  found 
at  this  part  of  the  river  some  tall,  straight  poplars,  all,  how- 
ever, with  a  curious  bend,  or  "  kink,"  near  the  top.  We 
passed  several  Indian  graves  and  camps.  The  Russians,  on 
nearing  any  Indian  locality,  announced  their  arrival  by 
firing  a  large  flint-lock  gun,  something  of  the  calibre  of  a 
whaling-gun.  We  camped  about  2  p.m.  on  a  steep  bank. 
Rain  fell  in  the  evening,  and  it  was  almost  welcomed,  as  it 
kept  off"  the  musquitoes. 

On  the  30th  we  waited  over  a  whole  day  in  camp  to  re- 
grease  our  "baidarre."  The  Russians  did  the  same,  and 
our  Indian  friends  also,  so  that  there  was  a  large  encamp- 
ment.    It  rained  incessantly. 

31st. — We  passed  the  fishing-village  of  Sachertelontin. 
From  this  point  I  kept  a  constant  running  survey  (bearings 
and  apparent  distances).  Our  only  authority — the  map  of 
Zagoskin — terminates  about  this  point.  (With  many  wind- 
ings, the  general  direction  to  Fort  Yukon  is  N.E.  magnetic ; 
and  so  little  does  it  vary  from  this  that  my  notes  contain 
little  else  but  points  ranging  from  N.  to  E.) 

l5^  June. — We  arrived  at  a  large  opening  or  lagoon  on 
the  river  about  eight  miles  long  and  five  wide.  It  ran 
in  an  easterly  direction,  and  had  several  large  islands  in 
it.  At  its  termination  the  river  again  narrowed.  Sand- 
stone bluffs  and  some  crags  of  conglomerate  bordered  the 
lagoon.  Within  three  days  we  obtained  ono  heron,  two 
or  three  ducks  and  geese,  and  a  few  eggs ;  also  some  bea- 
ver-meat. The  heron  was  decidedly  tough  eating ;  the  bea- 
ver-meat was  very  musk-like  in  flavor,  the  tail  alone  ex- 


I  1 


n  on 

ran 

s  in 

and- 

the 

two 

bea- 

bea- 

m  ex- 


<A 


m 


m 


O 


O 


m 


111. 


K|::!; 

i 

Sf 1 1  J f 

isF  i  T'  ^ 

1' 

i 

17,, 

pi 

1  • 

The   Melozecargut  River, 


229 


cepted,  which  is  the  trapper's  greatest  luxury,  and  was  re- 
ally delicious. 

The  natives  here,  when  very  short  of  supplies,  eat  the 
flesh  of  marten,  owls,  hawks,  etc.,  but  it  is  from  necessity 
rather  than  choice.  They  "ken  eat  crow,  tho'  they  don't 
hanker  arter  it."  In  point  of  fact,  I  noticed  these  luxuries 
generally  fell  to  the  lot  of  the  old  people,  who  do  not  have 
a  very  pleasant  time  of  it  if  they  happen  to  get  feeble  or 
decrepit.    They  are  not  ill-used,  but  simply  neglected. 

At  this  part  of  the  river's  banks  we  found  the  spruce-fir 
unusually  large,  and  the  river  itself  was  full  of  great  nat- 
ural rafts  of  trees  and  drift-wood,  which  came  whirling 
down  with  great  rapidity  in  the  ever-varying  current. 
Now  they  would  seem  to  be  gliding  along  steadily,  when, 
all  at  once,  they  got  into  an  eddy  and  spun  round,  so  that 
you  could  not  answer  for  oheir  course.  They  frequently 
scraped  and  jarred  against  our  canoe,  and  steering  had  to 
be  an  ever-watchful  operation. 

2c?. — Large  mountains  to  the  N.N.E.  The  Suquonyilla 
range.  We  reached  the  mouth  of  a  large  stream,  the  Melo- 
zecargut River,  which  enters  from  the  N.W.  (the  termina- 
tion cargut  simply  means  "small  river"  in  the  Co-yukon 
dialect ;  be  it  observed  that  the  Melozecargut  is  only  small 
by  comparison  with  the  Yukon).  We  passed  a  large  log  of 
maple  lying  on  the  beach ;  our  men  found  none  growing 
below  Fort  Selkirk,  so. that  it  must  have  travelled  from 
some  point  very  near  the  head-waters  of  the  Yukon.  The 
afternoon  was  so  intensely  warm  that  we  slept  for  several 
liours  on  the  bank,  resuming  our  trip  in  the  evening,  and 
travelling  till  2  a.m.  on  the  3d.  On  this  latter  day  we 
started  early,  and  camped  with  the  Russians  in  the  early 
afternoon  opposite  Newicargut,  one  of  the  most  important 
halting-places  on  the  river.  The  chief  came  over  to  us  in 
the  night  and  invited  us  at  once  to  the  village,  and  we 


230 


Newicargut. 


broke  camp  and  returned  with  him.  On  the  S.E.  side  of 
the  Yukon  we  found  a  comparatively  narrow  opening, 
leading  into  a  kind  of  bay  into  which  the  Newicargut  Kiver 
empties  itself.  The  Eussians  and  ourselves  saluted  the 
village  with  a  miscellaneous  discharge  from  revolvers,  car- 
bines, and  shot-guns,  as  is 
the  delight  of  all  the  Indians 
of  the  country,  and  they  re- 
turned the  compliment  with 
great  zest.  Our  man,  Kuri- 
ler,  blazed  away,  until  we 
had  to  threaten  to  take  away 
bis  powder-flask. 

Here  we  met  about  150 
Indians  of  a  highly  decora- 
ted and  painted  kind,  wear- 
ing almost  universally  the 
double-tailed  coat,  much  or- 
namented with  bead  trim- 
mings, and  elaborately- work- 
ed fire-bags,  knife-sheaths, 
and  belts.  Thev  were  al- 
most  all  of  them  living  in 
either  cotton-drill  tents  made 
by  themselves,  or  in  open 
booths,  constructed  of  poles 
set  up  and  tied  together  roof 
fashion,  a  few  green  boughs, 
pieces  of  birch-bark  and 
skins  covering  them.  Little 
fires  were  burning  every- 
where, to  keep  off  the  musquitoes.  The  weather  was  in- 
tensely warm,  the  thermometer  standing  at  72°  in  the 
shade. 


YUKON  FIKB-BAG,  KNIFE,  SHEATH,  ETC. 


Medicine-Making. 


231 


While  the  Russians  were  busily  trading  for  beaver,  mar- 
ten, and  other  furs,  Dall  purcliased  about  250  lbs.  of  dried 
deer  and  moose  meat  and  fat,  and  also  a  kind  of  native 
pemmiean.  lie  very  kindly  undertook  this  part  of  the 
performance,  my  line  of  business  was  exclusively  managing 
the  crew  and  the  travelling  arrangements.  An  extra  canoe 
was  bought,  and  two  Indians  engaged  to  navigate  it;  it 
was  a  sort  of  tender  to  our  craft.  We  were  not  well  pro- 
vided with  trading-goods,  and  both  Dall  and  myself  had, 
in  common  with  many  of  our  men  elsewhere,  to  find  a  good 
deal  for  the  necessary  payments,  presents  to  chiefs,  etc. 
Spare  shirts,  socks,  pocket  or  sheath  knives,  and  other  pos- 
sessions gradually  melted  from  our  gaze.  At  this  place  the 
Newicargut  chief  asked  me  for  my  towel  and  soap ;  and  as 
he  had  been  useful  in  whipping  up  supplies  for  us,  I  let 
him  have  them,  knowing  that  Dall  was  pretty  well  provided 
in  this  matter.  But  here  it  did  not  rest,  he  saw  me  with  a 
tooth-brush,  and  wanted  that  also.  I  need  not  say  he  did 
not  get  it ;  but  the  future  traveller  should  either  cut  down 
his  own  kit  to  the  lowest  standard,  or  take  all  the  little 
luxuries  of  life  by  the  dozen.  Much  the  same  sort  of  thing 
once  befell  me  in  an  airy  board-and-shingle  "  hotel "  in  Car 
iboo,  where  I  found  a  miner  (evidently  from  Pike  County 
Missouri)  who  was  engaged  in  cleaning  up  quartz  speci 
mens  with  my  tooth-brush,  of  the  use  of  which  he  was  to 
tally  ignorant.  Seeing  a  just  perceptible  shade  of  annoy 
ance  flitting  over  my  face,  he  asked  me  whether  I  wanted 
it  ?     I  assured  him  I  had  done  with  it  forever. 

In  the  evening  of  the  4th,  "Larrione,"  a  Co-yukon, 
made  medicine  over  a  sick  man.  A  group  of  Indians  en- 
circled the  invalid;  in  the  midst  of  them  burnt  a  dim  fire. 
A  monotonous  chorus  in  an  under-tone  was  kept  up,  while 
Larrione  went  through  an  elaborate  performance,  some  de- 
tails of  which  would  be  unfit  for  the  reader's  perusal.     Now 


Ill 


m,i: 


m 

Mi 

i. 


r  .; 


4 

s 


W! 


h  (.'■ 


:!-'^l 


232 


Indian  Dissipation. 


he  appeared  to  draw  the  evil  spirit  from  the  sick  man,  and, 
wrestling  wii-h  it,  threw  it  on  the  fire,  and  then  repelled, 
ran  wildly  from  it  with  mock  terror  and  affright.  Now  it 
had  possession  of  him,  and  he  gesticulated,  groaned,  and 
frothed  at  the  mouth — the  whole  accompanied  by  a  recita- 
tive, artistically  managed  in  connection  with  the  chorus. 
The  affair  was  not  unlike  a  weird  scene  in  a  sensation 
drama,  taking  into  consideration  the  accessories — the  over- 
hanging trees,  the  twilight,  the  dim  fire. 

At  last  the  performance  assumed  a  gayer  tinge ;  the 
chorus  grew  louder  and  livelier ;  the  man  was  supposed  to 
be  dispossessed,  and  he  hobbled  from  the  scene.  I  should 
imagine  that  the  Indians  were  very  divided  in  opinion  on 
Larrione*s  skill ;  sor  .,  from  the  expression  of  their  faces, 
were  apparently  impressed,  others  seemed  to  laugh  his  pre- 
tensions to  scorn,  and  to  look  on  the  whole  thing  as  a 
farce. 

The  Indians  on  the  river  had,  in  the  summer-lime,  a 
peculiarly  haggard  appearance,  caused  apparently  from  in- 
cessant dissipation!  They  were  constantly  dancing,  sing- 
mg,  or  eating,  and  slept  but  little.  The  perpetual  day- 
light of  the  short  summer  has  a  wakening  tendency  ex- 
cept when  one  is  thoroughly  fatigued,  and  the  natives 
seemed  to  feel  it. 

I  saw  at  this  village  and  elsewhere  on  the  river  small 
chairs  composed  of  birch-bark,  intended  for  the  use  of  chil- 
dren. The  engraving  explains  their  shape,  and  shows  the 
arrangement  of  a  piece  of  wood  so  placed  that  the  child's 
limbs  are  not  likely  to  become  bow-shaped !  The  infant 
sits  comfortably  on  a  layer  of  moss,  and  is  often  carried  on 
the  maternal  back  on  such  a  contrivance.  The  sketch  is 
respectfully  dedicated  to  the  mothers  of  England,  and  any 
enterprising  Oxford  Street  baby-jumper  or  rocking-chair 
naker  is  welcome  to  the  idea. 


Child's  Biuch-Bark  Chair. 


233 


If  birch-bark  is  noc  obtained,  let  him  substitute  papier- 
iiiache  or  gutta-percha.  Through  the  child's  nose  will  be 
seen  a  miniature  ornament,  like  that  already  described  in 
connection  with  Indian  children  of  a  larger  growth.  In 
this  case  also  "all  rights  arc "  not  "reserved." 


IM1>1AN  CUlLiD  8  BlKCU-iiAUK   CUAIU. 


234 


Meet  a  Dksekter. 


kn:    ' 


bi  i 


,i 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

CANOE  JOURNEY  {continued). — ASCENT  OF  THE  YUKON. 

Meet  a  Deserter. — Indian  Taste  for  "Nigger  "  Minstrelsy. — Tracking. — La- 
goon.— Piles  of  Dnft-wood. — Niiclukayette. — Unsophisticated  Indians. — 
Ceremony. — Leave  the  Russians. — Tiie  Indian's  Head. — Mountain 
Gorge — Indian  Dogs. — Canoe  Leak. — The  Rapids. — The  "Ramparts." 
— Moose-hunting. — Islands. — Overhanging  Banks. — Shallows. — Short- 
est Night. — First  English  Indians. — Porcupine  River. — Fort  Yukon. 

June  6th. — We  got  off  about  5  a.m.,  and  travelled  till  the 
noonday  heat  compelled  us  to  camp  for  a  time.  The  even- 
ing and  early  morning  are  the  only  times  for  travelling  in 
this  country  during  the  brief  summer.  Few  would  believe 
that  here,  almost  in  the  latitude  of  Behring  Straits,  it  was 
nearly  80°  in  the  shade,  and  the  effect  was  nearly  doubled 
by  the  fact  that  this  heat  followed  so  closely  on  the  intense 
cold  of  winter.  We  wished,  as  far  as  possible,  to  accom- 
pany the  Russian  traders,  or  we  would  long  ere  this  have 
travelled  exclusively  by  night;  but  they  preferred  the  day, 
for  reasons  best  known  to  themselves.  After  we  left  them 
we  followed  our  own  ideas  in  this  matter. 

In  the  cooler  afternoon  we  again  started,  and  were  pro- 
ceeding steadily^  when  we  were  surprised  to  see,  a  little 
way  ahead,  a  large  fire  on  the  beach.  Indians  rarely  make 
such,  but  prefer  to  sit,  even  in  winter,  shivering  over  a  few 
sticks,  and  we  felt  sure  that  it  must  be  the  camp  of  a  white 
traveller  or  travellers.  We  landed,  ran  up  to  the  place, 
and  found  standing  there  a  deserter  from  the  Hudson  Bay 
Company's  fort.  He  had,  with  one  Indian,  descended  the 
river  thus  far,  when  his  canoe  had  upset,  and  his  few  world- 


TiiK  Deserter's  JJistory. 


235 


]y  possessions,  including  bis  gun,  had  gone  to  the  bottom. 
lie  and  his  companion  had  managed  to  get  ashore,  clinging 
to  the  canoe,  and  were  now  calmly  drying  their  clothes, 
waiting  for  something  to  "  turn  up."  We  of  course  frater- 
nized and  supplied  them  with  a  few  necessaries.  The 
"  white  man" — very  slightly  the  whiter  of  the  two,  by-the- 
by — declared  that  our  supper  that  night  beat  any  thing  he 
had  eaten  for  years.  Ivan,  who  camped  near  us,  imme- 
diately asked  him  to  "  chi  peat,"  and  gave  him  a  blanket. 
We  tried  to  induce  him  to  return  with  us,  which  he  would 
have  done  willingly  enough,  but  for  the  fear  of  being  treat- 
ed as  a  deserter.  Poor  fellow,  he  had  experienced  a  hard 
life  for  many  years,  and  some  real  or  fancied  grievance  at 
Fort  Yukon  had  caused  him  to  take  this  step.  He  had 
been  in  the  Company's  service  for  a  long  period,  and  had 
entered  it  when  quite  a  youth. 

We  learned  subsequently  that  he  made  his  way  to  St. 
Michael's,  and  got  away  on  a  vessel  touching  there.  As 
he  had  been  through  a  large  part  of  the  Ladson  Bay  and 
Kussian  xVmerican  Companies'  posts  from  the  Atlantic  to  the 
Pacific^  he  had  certainly  made  the  "  North-west  Passage  " 
by  land  with  a  vengeance. 

Qth. — Bidding  adieu  to  the  stranger  in  the  afternoon,  we 
travelled  steadily  till  4  a.m.  on  the  7th.  There  was  no 
darkness  whatever — night  was  no  night:  a  subdued  twi- 
light stood  in  its  place,  and  the  sunset  glow  never  left  the 
horizon  till  it  merged  in  sunrise.  The  Indians  worked 
steadily, /or  Indians  ;  we  did  our  best  to  keep  them  in  a 
good-humor,  and  they  were  specially  fond  of  harmony.  I 
will  guarantee  that  any  future  traveller  on  the  river,  within 
the  next  few  years,  will  hear  snatches  of  "nigger"  min- 
strelsy which  we  taught  them.  They  readily  acquired  sim- 
ple tunes;  their  great  favorites  were  "Marching  through 
Georgia"  and  "Excelsior."      The  latter,  with  its  insane 


!•,*■ 


ill; 


23(J 


Tkackino. 


% 


>■ 


iw 


iHs 


/lir 


(ihorus  of  Vj)vlrr-i(lcc'id(t !  is  well  adapted  for  any  nation, 
poople,  or  tongue. 

The  water  liad  now  fallen  several  feet,  and  we  bep^an  to 
get  a  good  deal  of  traeking.  Our  Indians  were  sornetiincs 
barefooted,  but  more  commonly  wore  the  water  (or  summer) 
boots  of  the  country,  i.  <:.,  boots  made  entirely  from  seal-skin 
well  greased,  and  water-proof,  and  varying  only  in  length. 
The  work  was  no  joke;  now  they  were  floundering  in 
slimy  mud,  now  climbing  over  logs  or  round  small  rocky 
blufls,  with  the  line  fixed  to  their  shoulders,  and  the  cur- 
rent making  the  canoe  drag  on  them.  The  steersman  had 
enough  to  do  to  keep  the  boat  oft'  shore  or  out  of  too  shal- 
low water.  Wc  again  entered  a  lagoon  of  the  river,  run- 
ning in  a  northerly  direction  for  twenty-five  miles,  with 
high  bluffs  on  tho  east  side,  and,  as  usual,  full  of  islands. 
Rounding  one  of  these  appeared  an  interminable  journey, 
and  Dall  seriously  asked  me  to  turn  the  canoe  round ;  he 
considered  we  were  in  some  tributary  of  the  Yukon  I  Wc 
at  last  reached  the  main  stream,  however ;  the  island  was 
fifteen  miles  in  length. 

On  the  7th  we  passed  low,  swampy  land,  whose  principal 
production  appeared  to  be  musquitoes,  and  early  on  the 
8th  reached  the  mouth  of  a  large  stream  entering  from  the 
west,  and  known  by  the  Indians  as  the  Towshecargut 
Kiver.  At  the  confluence  we  found  an  immense  pile  of 
drift-wood,  perhaps  fifty  feet  high,  the  accumulation  of 
ages.  We  lighted  our  fire  near  it,  took  our  regular  dose  of 
tea,  and  then  proceeded  on  our  journey.  We  again  got  a 
favorable  breeze  for  a  short  time.  The  river  there  was  very 
wide,  with  many  islands.  In  the  evening  we  made  the 
junction  of  the  Tanana  River  and  the  Yukon,  between 
which,  on  a  tongue  of  land,  Nuclukayette,  an  Indian  trad- 
ing-ground of  importance,  is  situated.  We  purposely  passed 
it  by  nearly  two  miles,  and  then,  with  the  Russians  and  a 


nation, 

pjan  to 
ictimcs 
nuncr) 
al-skin 
IcMigth. 
ing  ill 
rocky 
le  cur- 
an  had 
'O  slial- 
sr,  run- 
s,  witb 
slands. 
)urney, 
nd;  he 
I  Wc 
nd  was 


incipal 

on  the 

om  the 

3cargut 

pile  of 

ion  of 

dose  of 

Q  got  a 

as  very 

ide  the 
< 

)etween 
m  trad- 
^  passed 
s  and  a 


1  ■■  I 

I-    ! 


M 


i 


I'  '  1 


'm 


'■w 


m 


t 


h. 


■Im 


TANANA  INDIAN. 


U  N  s  0 1»  1 1 1  s  1 1  c  A  T  K I )   Indians. 


230 


whole  fleet  of  Indian  canoes,  crossed  tlic  river,  so  tliat  with 
drifting  down  we  should  just  make  the  village.  On  arrival 
the  llussians  fired  their  large  gun,  atul  we  kept  up  a  run- 
ning volli'y  from  our  miscellaneous  collection  of  arms. 

This  [)lace  is  the  furthest  point  ever  reached  l)y  tin;  Rus- 
sian traders,  and  is  about  210  miles  above  Nulato.  Within 
the  last  two  or  three  years  some  of  the  Hudson  Ray  Com- 
})any's  men  have  also  comedown  with  trading-goods  to  this 
village.  Hither  come  Indians  from  all  cpiarters.  Co-yu- 
kons,  Ncwicarguts,  Tananas,  and  even  the  Koteh-;i-kutchins 
from  Fort  Yukon.  On  some  occasions  their  gatherings  have 
numbered  GOO  persons.  The  Tananas  had  not  arrived,  but 
wc  met  a  number  afterward.  I  believe  them  to  be  the  most 
unsophisticated  Indians  to  be  met  with  at  the  present  day. 
They  were  gay  with  painted  faces,  feathers  in  their  long 
hair,  patches  of  red  clay  at  the  back  of  their  heads  covered 
with  small  flufiy  feathers,  doublcd-tailed  coats,  and  panta- 
loons of  buckskin,  much  adorned  with  fringes  and  beads, 
and  elaborately-worked  fire-bags  and  belts.  They  reminded 
me  of  the  ideal  North  American  Indian  I  had  read  of  but 
never  seen. 

On  landing  at  this  village  a  ceremony  had  to  be  gone 
through,  possibly  to  test  whether  we  had  "strong  hearts" 
or  not.  The  Indians  already  there  advanced,  whooping, 
yelling,  and  brandishing  their  guns  till  they  reached  us, 
and  then  discharged  them  in  the  air.  We,  with  the  Indians 
just  arrived,  returned  the  compliment,  and  then  the  chief 
whose  acquaintance  we  had  made  during  winter  came  for- 
ward and  welcomed  us.  This  man  had  treated  Ketch- 
um  and  Labarge  very  well  in  their  trip  in  the  winter,  and 
they  had  left  a  letter  for  us,  asking  us  to  give  him  powder, 
etc.  We  found  this  place  almost  bare  of  provisions ;  the 
Indians  dancing  and  singing  all  the  same  with  empty  stom- 
achsj  knowing  that  the  season  for  moose-hunting  was  at 


If 


H 


w 

Is  P 


% 


2-iO 


Leave  tue  IIussians. 


hand.  The  chief  and  some  others  brought  us  small  quan- 
tities of  sweet  fat. 

We  had  expected  to  meet  Antoine  Iloule,  a  half-breed 
interpreter  f''om  the  English  fort,  but  he  had  left  the  day 
before  we  arrived,  having  traded  all  his  goods.  lie  had 
virtually  been  starved  out  of  this  village.  We  dispatched 
an  Indian  "  express  "  after  him,  to  ask  him  to  wait  and  beai' 
us  company ;  but  the  man  returned  without  succeeding  in 
reaching  him,  having  delayed  by  the  way  to  shoot  two 
moose. 

9^/?. — We  rested  here  till  half-past  three  o'clock  in  tne 
afternoon,  and  then  bade  adieu  to  our  Russian  friends. 
We  hired  an  Indian  from  the  Nuclukayette  village  in  place 
of  one  of  those  from  Newicargut ;  and  he  proved  a  good, 
sturdy,  steady-going  native,  with  an  intimate  acquaintance 
with  the  great  river.  Several  canoes  again  accompanied 
us,  each  v/itli  r^  wooden  bowl  or  birch-bark  basket  of  embers 
on  boards  the  sm'  ke  from  which  kept  off  the  musquitoes, 
and  enal  led  the  travellers  to  raise  a  fire  ashore  at  camp- 
time,  or  when  their  rrait  required  repairs.  Among  our  In- 
dian escort  at  this  time  were  some  Tananas.  I  have  spoken 
of  the  patches  of  red  clay  stuck  on  the  back  of  their  heads, 
and  their  purpose,  which  is  one  of  adornment.  But  when 
they  are  rot  in  full  dress,  when  the  feathers  have  tumbled 
out  and  left  a  mass  of  fluff  and  dirt  in  the  hair,  it  has  a  very 
disagreeable  appearance.  The  first  time  I  observed  it  I 
supposed  the  man  had  some  terrible  head  disease,  and  offer- 
ed him  a  small  piece  of  soap,  requesting  him  at  the  same 
time  to  keep  out  of  my  tent  till  he  had  washed  himself 
He  took  the  soap,  smiled  at  my  ignorance  of  the  fashions, 
and  went  away.  I  suspect  his  head  is  unwashed  to  the 
present  day.  It  is  a  question  whether  he  had  ever  before 
seen  soap. 

Immediately  above  Nuclukayette  the  river  narrows,  and 


The  Rapids. 


241 


rs,  and 


is  shut  in  by  wooded  liills  and  craggy  beiglits.  From  this 
point  we  travelled  cxelusively  by  night,  or  by  what  stood 
in  its  place.  As  we  had  two  men  navigating  our  birch-bark 
tender,  wc  were  able  to  change  our  crew  occasionally,  and 
keep  all  pretty  fresh.  Birch-barks  are  so  easily  navigated 
that  I  should  adopt  them  exclusively  if  travelling  in  that 
country  again.  The  dogs  belonging  to  the  Indians  with  us 
went  the  larger  part  of  the  journey  hij  land,  and  often  had 
a  good  deal  of  trouble  in  getting  round  the  cliffs  jutting 
into  the  river.  When  we  crossed  the  stream,  an  event  of 
constant  occurrence,  they  swam  after  us  through  very  swift 
rapids,  and  where  there  was  a  width  of  half  or  three-quarters 
of  a  mile.  These  dogs  had  a  better  time  of  it,  though,  than 
those  at  the  llussian  forts,  where  it  was  usual  in  summer  to 
let  them  forage  for  themselves.  Ilere  they  always  got  some- 
thing given  them,  and  often  fed  luxuriously.  They  proved 
of  a  good  deal  of  use,  as  they  constantly  scoured  the  woods 
for  something  eatable.  In  the  evening  they  found  a  3'oung 
moose,  which  they  surrounded  till  the  Indians  were  enabled 
to  kill  it.     We  travelled  this  night  about  twenty-six  miles. 

Early  in  the  morning  of  the  10th  we  found  our  skin 
boat  leaking  badly,  from  having  touched  on  rocks.  We 
immediately  went  ashore,  and  found  too  large  slits  ripped 
in  the  seams.  Fortunately,  Indian  women  among  those 
accompanying  us  were  ready  to  sew  the  places  for  a  con- 
sideration of  a  (penny)  looking-glass  and  a  few  trifles,  to 
which  we  added  a  cup  of  tea,  with  a  little  broken  biscuit 
floating  on  the  top  of  it — a  ruse  worthy  of  the  traveller's  no- 
tice whose  supply  maybe  limited.  The  biscuit  swells  con- 
siderably, and  looks  imposing,  while  it  serves  to  disguise 
the  weakness  of  the  tea ! 

10^/^,  11^/l — Started  about  2  p.m.,  and  again  tracked  the 
larger  part  of  the  distance.  Travelled  generally  in  a  N.N.E. 
direction.     In  the  evening  we  came  to  the  "  liapids,"  an 

Q 


m¥ 


Im 


it 


ii 


¥0 


I 


mi  i. 


t.    s'' 


242 


The    "Kam parts." 


exaggerated  account  of  which,  derived  from  the  Russians, 
had  made  us  fear  that  we  might  find  great  difliculty  in  pass- 
ing them.  The  river  here  is  comparatively  narrow  ;  and  a 
long  island  of  rocks,  at  that  time  submerged,  makes  an  ob- 
struction, and  the  water  boils,  fumes,  and  frets  around  them. 
But  there  is  a  clear  channel  on  either  side ;  that  on  the 
west  side  is  especially  good.  There  were  other  rocks  more 
or  less  submerged,  and  the  water  was  very  strong,  running 
perhaps  seven  knots.  For  the  greater  part  of  the  way  we 
tracked  from  rocks  on  the  west  side,  occasionally  having 
to  take  our  Indians  on  board  and  paddle  with  great  vigor. 
It  would  be  easy  to  make  this  a  sensational  affair,  but  in 
truth  we  passed  them  without  great  difficulty.  A  steamer 
could  go  through  them,  except  perhaps  for  the  first  fort- 
night in  June,  when  the  water  is  at  its  strongest.  A  good 
deal,  however,  depends  on  the  height  of  the  water.  Ketch- 
urn,  the  previous  year,  found  it  ten  feet  higher,  and  there- 
fore could  not  track  from  the  rockv  bank.  The  water  had 
fallen  at  this  time  at  least  twelve  feet  (from  its  highest  point 
of  the  season). 

The  heights  surrounding  the  gorge  we  were  now  passing 
through  are  known  (at  Fort  Y'lkon)  as  the  "  Ramparts," 
from  crags  and  rocks  of  castellated  structure  which  tower 
grandly  above  the  river. 

The  Indians  brought  Dall  a  fossil  tooth  of  a  large  size, 
and  there  is  little  doubt  that  some  interesting  collections 
might  be  made  in  this  direction.     See  Appendix  (VI.). 

A  small  stream  enters  the  Yukon  about  six  miles  above 
the  "Rapids"  on  the  west  side,  known  as  the  Klakinikot 
River.  The  dogs  found  a  porcupine,  and  one  of  the  Indians 
shot  it.  • 

We  camped  at  4  A.M.,  finding  wild  gooseberry  and  cur- 
rant bushes  on  the  bank.  I  had  previously  seen  a  quantity 
of  wild  rhubarb,  which  the  Indians  gather  in  quantities, 


issians, 


n  pass- 

and  a 

an  ob- 

1  them. 

on  the  I  :  I 

:s  more 
unning 
vay  we 
having 
t  vigor. 
,  but  in 
5teamer 
st  fort- 
A  good 
Ketch - 
i  there- 
,ter  had 
st  point 

passing 
a  parts," 
h  tower 

•ge  size, 
lections 

!S  above 
ikinikot 
Indians 

md  enr- 
oll an  tity 
lantities, 


vs.  i 


m\    M 


Ul 


U 


UJ 


Moose-  Hunting, 


24; 


find  it,  really  was  very  little  inferior  in  flavor  to  the  culti- 
vated kind.     The  wild  rose' was  everywhere  abundant. 

11^//,  12th. — "We  made  a  start  at  half-past  4  p.m.,  still 
passing  through  a  mountain  gorge,  but  of  a  more  open  na- 
ture. About  9  P.M.  found  we  had  again  damaged  our  ca- 
noe, and  stopped  to  repair  it. 

This  part  of  the  river  abounds  with  moose.  At  this  sea- 
son the  musquitoc  m  the  woods  are  a  terrible  scourge,  and 
even  the  moose  can  not  stand  it.  lie  plunges  into  the  wa- 
ter, and  wades  or  swims,  as"  the  case  may  be,  often  making 
for  the  islands.*  This  is  therefore  a  favorite  part  of  the 
Yukon  for  the  Indian  hunter.  The  moose  are  scarce  below 
Nuclukayette,  and  never  known  as  low  as  Nulato.  They 
must,  however,  be  abundant  on  the  smaller  rivers,  as,  for 
example,  on  the  Newicargut,  where  the  meat  obtained  was 
nearly  all  of  this  animal.  In  winter,  it  is  said,  the  Indians 
can,  by  following  them  on  snow-shoes,  tire  them  out,  and 
so  get  near  enough  to  kill  them. 

Later  in  the  evening  the  dogs  fou:id  one  near  the  river 
and  fastened  on  him,  and  he  was  soon  dispatched.  In  the 
water  he  is  a  very  clumsy  animal.  The  meat  is  excellent; 
far  above  deer  or  even  reindeer  meat,  and  its  nose,  properly 
stewed  down,  is  a  great  luxury — better  to  my  mind  than 
the  other  extremity  of  the  beaver,  its  tail,  which  is  every- 
where considered  something  specially  delicious. 

But  for  the  occasional  excitement  of  hunting,  our  trip 
on  this  part  of  the  river  would  have  been  very  monoto- 
nous. 

On  the  ISth  June  the  dogs  again  routed  a  moose  o  at  of 
the  woods,  and  we  easily  shot  it.  Etvrly  the  next  morning 
we  shot  a  second.  On  the  evening  of  the  15th  we  were 
proceeding  steadily,  when  we  saw  a  cow-moose,  with  a  calf 

*  In  some  cases  the  Indians  in  nnmbers  surround  an  island  known  to 
liavo  niuoso  or  reindeer  on  it,  and  a  regular  battue  ensues. 


J-II  1 

fr 


[I 


m 


i  I 


246 


Islands. 


following  her,  swimming  for  the  very  bank  that  we  must 
pass,  and  paying  no  attention  whatever  to  us,  although  we 
made  a  good  deal  of  noise.  I  instantly  jumped  ashore 
and  ran  along  the  beach,  but  the  mother  was  too  quick 
for  me,  and  managed  to  get  into  the  woods.  I  shot  the 
calf,  with  some  qualms  of  conscience,  I  must  admJt.  It 
proved  ihe  very  finest  meat  we  had  tasted ;  others  were 
shot  subs  ^qucntly  by  us,  and  one  was  killed  in  the  w^ater 
by  the  knife  of  an  Indian.  The  natives  do  not  always 
waste  powder  and  shot  over  them,  but  get  near  the  moose, 
manoeuvring  round  in  their  birch-bark  canoes  till  the  ani- 
mal is  fatigued,  and  then  stealthily  approach  and  stab  it  in 
the  heart  or  loins.  When  full  grown,  they  weigh  700  lbs. 
and  upward,  and  have  been  obtained  1200  lbs.  in  weight. 

As  long  as  we  were  among  the  "  Ramparts"  we  tracked 
constantly  from  the  beach,  but  dn  the  15th  we  emerged 
from  the  gorge,  and  found  the  river  again  opening  out  into 
lagoons  and  shallows,  with  innumerable  islands.  The 
banks  are  much  worn  away  and  undermined  by  the  current. 
It  is  no  uncommon  thing  to  find  trees  growing  with  their 
roots  dangling  in  the  air,  and  only  supported  by  a  little 
moss-bound  earth.  These  are,  of  course,  frequently  falling 
in.  It  was  sometimes  difficult  to  avoid  getting  cur  canoe 
half-filled  with  loose  earth  which  was  slipping  from  these 
"  leaning"  banks,  and  the  edges  of  the  river  were  much  ob- 
structed by  half-sunken  trees  and  logs.  We  frequently 
tracked  from  the  water,  our  men  proceeding  carefully  for 
long  distances  in  apparently  interminable  shallows.  Our 
baidarre  seams  ripped  frequently,  and  needed  constant  sew- 
ing; and  travel  was  therefore  somewhat  harassing. 

19^/^,  20//?. — The  water  alternately  strong  and  shallow, 
sometimes  both  together.  Early  on  the  20th  a  terrific  ram- 
cloud  burst  over  us:  at  last  we  gave  in  from  sheer  fatigue, 
drenched  to  the  skin.     We  soon  made  all  right  by  raising 


Shortest  Night. 


24; 


a  gigantic  fire  near  a  pile  of  drift-wood.  On  other  Ameri- 
can rivers  wood  for  a  steamer  is  sometimes  a  matter  of  dif- 
ficulty ;  here  it  is  ready,  only  requiring  to  be  cut  into 
lengths. 

2ht,  22(1 — We  knew  that  we  could  not  be  flir  from 
our  destination,  and  travelled  hard  to 
make  it.  This  was  the  shortest  night 
of  the  year — the  sun  setting  at  a  few 
minutes  after  11,  and  rising  about  a 
quarter  to  12.  How  near  we  were 
to  the  Arctic  Circle  I  leave  to  those 
who  thoroughly  understand  the  sub- 
ject ;  suffice  it  to  say,  the  sun  was  ab- 
sent from  our  gaze  not  over  forty-five 
minutes. 

Toward  7  o'clock  in  the  morning  we 
met  the  first  of  the  Upper  Indians,  a 
branch  of  the  Kotch-a-kutchins.  They 
were  camped  by  a  "slough"  of  the 
river,  engaged  in  drying  fish,  some  of 
which  they  were  glad  to  trade  for  our 
tobacco,  the  supply  at  Fort  Yukon 
having  been  exhausted.  They  were 
apparently  better  provided  with  guns, 
clothing,  and  tents  than  the  "  Rus- 
sian" Indians.  They  were  cleaner, 
and  better  mannered.  In  the  course 
of  the  morning  their  chief — "  Sakne- 
ota"  (known  as  "  Senitee"  at  the  fort) 
— arrived,  and  immediately  made  us  a  present  of  moose- 
meat,  and  we  returned  the  compliment  in  some  trifles. 

22d,  23d — We  determined  this  night  to  make  our  des- 
tination, and  let  nothing  stop  us,  and  therefore  halted  twice 
for  rest  and  refreshment  in  place  of  once,  as  heretofore. 


YUKON   INDIAN'S  KNIFE. 


1.: 


i 


■i 

11 

1 

r 

nfa  M' 

f 

248 


Fort  Yukon. 


Wc  travelled  very  steadily,  refusing  to  listen  to  our  In- 
dians, who  were  very  fatigued,  and  wished  to  camp  ;  and  a 
little  before  noon  we  made  the  mouth  of  the  Eat  or  Por- 
cupine Kiver,  entering  the  Yukon  from  the  north.  Haifa 
mile's  paddling  brought  us  in  sight  of  Fort  Yukon,  and  we 
gave  vent  to  our  jubilant  feelings  in  a  volley  of  fire-arms, 
which  was  immediately  answered  from  shore.  As  to  Kuri-" 
ler,  he  blazed  away  till  we  were  all  deaf,  but  for  once  we 
let  him  have  his  way.  Landing,  we  found  two  young 
Scotchmen  and  a  French  half-breed,  the  sole  occupants  of 
the  fort,  the  commander  and  many  of  his  men  being  absent 
on  the  annual  trip  for  supplies.  A  large  crowd  of  Indians, 
awaiting  their  return,  were  camped  outside.  We  shook 
hands  with  every  body,  including  the  Indians,  and  were 
soon  installed  in  a  room  of  the  fort.  Thus  ended  a  jour- 
ney of  600  miles,  occupying  twenty-nine  days — twenty-six 
of  which  had  been  engaged  in  actual  travel. 


ur  In- 
and  a 
'  Por- 
Qalfa 
nd  we 
-arms, 
Kuri-" 
ce  we 
young 
nts  of 
absent 
idians, 
shook 
L  were 
I  jour- 
ity-six 


nil' 

T 
i 

[ 

J         1 

■ 

^  ■  i 

t    -    ■     : 


v> 


o 


03 


(A 


^         O 


Life  at   Four  Vlkux. 


2:>1 


CIIAPTKR  XX. 


W 


o 

c 
if) 


o 

< 

CD 
V) 

Z. 

o 

(A 
O 

D 
Z 

Z 

o 

•J 

> 

h 
oc 
O 


ItSl^i 


F(3liT  YUKON'. 

Return  of  tlie  Comniniult^r  and  Missionary.  —  TiiroriTiation  rocoivod  from 
tlicm. — Mackuiizie  and  the  Yukon. — The  Itidi.ius. — Numerous  Tribes,— 
Tiio  Furs. — Fietitiniis  Black  Fox. — Missionary  Work. — Return  of  our 
Explorers  from  tlio  Upper  Yukon. — Fort  Yukon  Sledj^es,  etc. 

On  the  2Gtb  June,  the  cominaiidcr,  ^fr.  M'Dougall,  re- 
turned, and  with  him  the  Hev.  Mr.  M'Donuld,  a  niissionary 
of  the  Church  of  Enghind  stationed  there.  Both  of  these 
gentlemen  welcomed  us  warmly,  and  in  their  society  we 
spent  many  pleasant  hours. 

Their  news  from  the  outer  world  was  later  than  ours. 
Copies  of  The  Nor'-wester,  a  paper  published  in  Red  liiver 
Settlement,  and  of  dates  up  to  the  end  of  1860,  told  us  of 
the  successful  working  of  the  Atlantic  cable,  and  many 
other  events  of  the  day. 

Our  new  friends  did  all  that  was  possible  to  make  our 
stay  agreeable,  and,  as  they  had  just  brought  in  their  sea- 
son's goods,  we  fared  luxuriously  for  such  an  out-of-the- 
world  place.  Our  stores,  too,  were  of  some  assistance,  yet 
we  had  a  taste  of  the  kind  of  life  they  endure  year  after 
year.  Moose-meat  boiled,  varied  by  boiled  moose-meat, 
alternating  with  the  meat  of  moose  boiled,  was  our  staple 
diet!  This  fort  is  so  inaccessible  that  little  else  but  trad- 
ing-goods are  brought  in.  The  commander  and  one  or 
two  of  the  men  get  a  small  allowance  of  flour,  and  all  get  a 
few  pounds  of  tea,  but  the  quantity  is  so  small  tliat  it  does 
not  hold  out  more  than  two  or  three  months,  ami  for  the 


0,  •  ! 


1 

MB 

■    ' 

wHm 

M 

m\ 

!■'' 

f  I  % 


252  SiTPLY  AT   Four  Yukon. 

rein.'Uiulcr  of  tlio  year  tliey  return  to  the  eternal  mooac. 
Every  tiling  brought  to  this  station  is  transported  through 
the  whole  series  of  forts  from  York  Faetory,  in  Hudson's 
Bay,  the  men  of  each  po.st  eontributing  something  toward 
their  transmission.  The  em])loyes  of  Fort  Yukon  feteh 
their  goods*  from  La  Pierre's  house,  a  small  post  on  the 
upper  })art  of  the  Porcupine  Itivcr,  a  distance  of  OUO  miles. 
The  trip  occupies  them  twenty  days  ascending  the  Porcu- 
pine, camping  regularly,  and  but  five  or  six  days  descend- 
ing it  without  camping.  Between  La  Pierre's  house  and 
the  Peel  liiver,  a  tributary  of  the  Mackenzie,  mountains 
intervene,  and  a  long  porta(jc  of  eighty  miles  has  to  be 
made,  over  which  the  goods  are  packed  on  men's  shoulders 
for  the  greater  part  of  the  distance.  The  nearest  station 
on  Peel  liivcr  is  Fort  M'Pherson,  which  is  situated  thirty 
miles  above  its  confluence  with  the  Mackenzie.  The  nearest 
fort  on  the  Mackenzie  is  Fort  Simpson,  distant  1500  miles 
from  Fort  Yukon. 

The  Porcupine  or  Rat  River  is  undoubtedly  that  men- 
tioned in  Mackenzie's  "Voyages."  When  on  the  great 
stream  that  now  bears  his  name,  he  was  told  of  a  river  "in 
comparison  of  which,"  he  says,  "  that  on  whose  banks  we 
then  were  was  but  a  small  stream  ;  that  the  natives  were 
very  large  and  very  wicked,  and  kill  common  men  with 
their  eyes ;"  that  they  were  "  adorned  with  wings,"  and 
that  they  could  eat  "a  large  beaver  at  a  single  meal."  His 
informants  also  described  it  as  falling  into  a  great  lake  or 

*  I  took  the  measurements  of  the  boats  used  for  this  trip,  thinking  that 
it  might  ])rove  an  item  of  importance  to  some  future  expedition.  The  boats, 
when  loaded  with  a  hundred  "  pieces,"  or  packages,  of  an  average  weight 
of  ninety  pounds,  draw  only  2  to  2^  feet  of  water,  and  are  of  the  followinij 
dimensions : 

Total  length 41  feet.  ' 

Length  of  keel 29  feet. 

Depth  from  gunnel  to  keel 3  feet  2  inches. 

Width  of  beam i)  foct  G  inches. 


Vonv   ViKoN. 


253 


men- 
great 
T  "in 
is  we 
were 
with 
'  and 
His 
ike  or 


poa.  Now  llio  Porcupiju!,  witli  its  virtual  continuation  the 
Yuk'on,  answers  well  enough  to  this;  l)ut  it  neoel  hardly  be 
said  that  the  people — as  we  found  them — were  compara- 
tively eommonplaee  after  this  description. 

Fort  Yukon  was  founded  in  1647.  The  ])resent  erec- 
tion was,  however,  commenced  in  1604,  and  was  in  an  un- 
finished condition  last  year  (1807).  The  older  fort  was 
built  a  mile  higher  up  the  river,  but  the  bank  on  which  it 
was  placed  had  been  gradually  undermined  by  the  strong 
current,  and  the  process  of  destruction  had  almost  readied 
the  gate  of  the  station.  It  may  fairly  be  considered  as  the 
most  remote  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  forts,  and  is 
in  approximately  the  high  latitude  of  i)i)°  N.  It  is  well 
known  to  be  within  the  boundary-line  of  Russian  America, 
and  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  did  for  a  time,  at  least, 
pay  the  Kussian  American  Fur  Company  for  the  privilege 
of  trading  within  their  territory. 

After  our  experience  of  the  rather  dirty  Russian  forts, 
it  was  quite  a  relief  to  find  newly-plastered  walls,  glazed 
windows,  capital  floors,  open  fire-i)laces,  ai»d  a  general  ap- 
pearance of  cleanliness.  In  addition  to  the  dwellings  of 
the  commander  and  men,  there  were  magazines,  stores,  fur- 
room,  fur-press,  ice  and  meat  wells. 

The  river  near  the  fort  has  no  less  than  five  distinct 
channels,  and  intervening  islands  prevent  your  seeing  from 
bank  to  bank. 

After  a  few  days  the  Indians  mustered  very  strongly; 
canoe  after  canoe  arrived,  and  there  was  a  constant  blazing 
of  musketry,  as  though  the  fort  was  in  a  state  of  siege. 
Over  oOO  natives  were  at  one  time  congregated  outside  the 
station.  They  erected  tents,  open  booths,  and  "lodges;" 
the  latter  being  constructed  of  poles  and  moose-hides,  and 
usually  placed  two  together,  the  doorways  facing  each 
other,  with   a  small  fire   burning   between  them.     Each 


11   ; 


i 


I'''  > 


m 


r  I 


\i  h 


254 


Muster  of  Indians. 


male,  on  arrival  at  the  fort,  received  a  present  of  a  small 
cake  of  tobacco  and  a  clay  pipe;  and  those  who  were  out 
of  provisions  drew  a  daily  ration  of  moose-meat  from  the 
commander,  which  rather  taxed  the  resources  of  the  estab- 
lishment. Indian  hunters  are  attached  to  the  fort,  and 
some  of  the  canoes  brought  in  large  loads  of  fresh  and 
dried  meat. 

There  was  a  decided  difference  between  the  Upper  and 
Lowei  Yukon  forms  of  clothing.  At  this  place  we  saw 
quantities  of  buckskin  dresses,  and  moccasins  were  com- 
monly worn.  The  leading  men  of  the  tribes  assembled 
wore  mock  uniforms,  presented  to  them  by  the  company ; 
old  "Red  Leggings"  in  particular,  one  of  the  Kotch-a- 
kutchin  chiefs,  was  gorgeous  in  one  with  immense  gilt 
epaulets,  brass  buttons,  and  trimmings,  and  had  as  n.any 
colored  ribbons  hanging  from  his  cap  as  would  stock  ten 
reciiiiting-sergeants  for  life.  Many  had  "capotes,"  shirts, 
and  coats  of  civilized  appearance,  purchased  in  the  store. 
In  winter  these  people  wear  moose-skin  shirts  or  robes, 
with  the  hair  turned  inward. 

We  here  met  the  representatives  of  many  tribes.  The 
Kotch-ii-kutchins*  (or  lowland  people)  are  the  Indians  of 
the  immediate  neighborhood.  Higher  on  the  Yukon  (or 
Pelly,  as  it  has  been  long  marked  in  our  maps)  dwell  two 
tribes,  the  "  An  Kutchins  "  and  the  "  Tatanchok  Kutchins." 
The  former  are  known  by  the  "  voj^ageurs  "  of  the  company 
by  the  flattering  epithet  of  Gens  defoux,  and  the  latter  bear 

*  In  the  Appendix  (V.)  will  be  fonnd  a  full  vocabulary  of  the  Kotch-a- 
kutchin  dialect,  made  by  the  late  Major  Kcnnicott,  whose  death  while  en- 
gaged in  our  service  I  have  already  recorded.  It  was  compiled  lonp  before, 
during  his  visit  to  the  territory  in  I85t)-G2,  when  he  passed  through  the 
larger  part  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  posts.  He  never  lived  to  make 
the  trip  nearest  his  heart — tiiat  from  the  Pacific  (Norton  Sound,  Behring 
Sea)  to  Fort  Yukon,  the  journey  above  described.  His  lengthened  journey 
just  mentioned  was  made  from  the  Atlantic  States,  aud  Fort  Yukon  was 
the  furthest  point  he  reached. 


Hya-qua  Shells, 


255 


the  name  of  Gens  de  hois.  Some  of  the  Gens  de  boukau,  or 
Birch  River  Indians,  and  Gens  de  rats,  or  Rat  (or  Porcupine) 
River  Indians,  were  also  present.  Large  numbers  of  the 
Tanana  Indians,  Gens  de  hutte  (or  knoll  people),  the  original 
"  mountain  men,"  mustered  on  this  occasion,  and  were,  as  T 
have  before  stated,  undoubtedly  the  most  primitive  people 
we  met.  Their  clothing  was  much  befringed  with  beads, 
and  many  of  them  wore  through  the  nose  (as  did  most  of 
the  other  Indian  men  present),  an  ornament  composed  of 
the  Hya-qua  shell  {Dentcdiam  entalis  or  Entalis  vuhjaris). 
Both  of  the  fur  companies  ou  the  river  trade  with  them, 
and  at  very  high  prices.  These  shells*  were  formerly  used, 
and  still  are,  to  some  extent,  as  a  medium  of  currency  by 
the  natives  of  Vancouver  Island  and  other  parts  of  the 
north-west  coast.  I  saw  on  the  Yukon  fringes  and  head 
ornaments,  which  represented  a  value  in  trade  of  a  couple 
of  hundred  marten-skins. 

Of  the  great  river  on  which  the  Tanana  people  dwell  we 
know  nothing.  From  information  derived  at  Fort  Yukon 
I  infer  that  its  upper  waters  are  not  far  from  the  Upper 
Yukon.  The  Tananas  sometimes  cross  to  Fort  Yukon  by 
a  land-route.     From  the  diminished  volume  of  the  Yukon 


ll 


*  See  the  "  Procoedinfijs  of  the  Zoological  Society  of  London,"  March  8, 
1834,  "  'hero  specimens,  brought  home  by  J.  K.  Lord,  Esq.,  are  commented 
on  by  Dr.  Baird.  Mr.  Lord  says,  speaking  of  their  use  among  the  inhabit- 
ants of  Vancouver  Island  and  British  Columbia  and  adjoining  coasts,  "The 
value  of  the  Dentalium  depends  upon  its  length.  Those  representing  the 
greater  value  are  called,  when  strung  together  end  to  end,  a  '  Ili-qua ;'  but 
the  standard  by  which  the  Dentalium  is  calculated  to  be  fit  for  a  'Ili-qua' 
is  that  twenty-five  shells  placed  end  to  end  must  make  a  fathom,  or  six  feet 
in  length.  At  one  time  a  '  Hi-qua'  would  purchase  a  male  slave,  equal  in 
value  to  fifty  blankets,  or  about  ■£;>()  sterling."  These  shells  are  generally 
obtained  from  the  west  coast  of  Vancouver  Island. 

Mthough  I  have,  in  the  above  quotation,  followed  Mr.  Lord  in  his  meth- 
od of  spelling  the  word  "  Hi-qua,"  I  must  lean  to  my  own  mode  printed  in 
the  text  as  conveying  a  closer  approximation  to  the  usual  pronunciation  of 
the  word. 


M 


fc-M    <  •'  ^ 


p  H 


■h 


I' 


\  il 


250 


Miserly  Indians — Furs. 


water  above  the  confluence  of  the  Tanana  River,  the  latter 
must  evidently  be  a  very  grand  stream. 

The  women  of  all  these  upper  tribes  dress  m  )re  simply 
than  the  men,  and  wear  few  ornaments.  They  do  more 
drudgery  than  the  females  of  the  Lower  Yukon  and  coast 
of  Russian  America.  They  adopt  a  loose  sack  garment 
very  plainly  cut,  with  large  loose  sleeves.  In  the  fort  some 
of  the  Indian  women  wore  European  clothing. 

It  is  said  that  some  of  the  chiefs  and  "big  Injiens"  of 
these  tribes  have  L  '■ge  piles  of  beads — of  which  they  make 
no  use — secreted,  miser-like,  in  the  woods.  They  had 
bought  them,  not  knowing  how  better  to  invest  their  capi- 
tal, after  acquiring  all  the  guns,  blankets,  knives,  and  pots 
they  needed.  Generally  they  appeared  to  thrive  under  the 
auspices  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  who  I  believe  treat 
them  better  than  they  do  their  own  employes  at  these  inac- 
cessible posts.  The  first  Indian  who  brings  furs  can  get 
any  thing  there  is  in  the  fort ;  the  men  can  only  draw  a 
fixed  amount  of  clothing  and  tobacco,  and  get  the  poorest 
kind  of  })rovisions.  I  am  well  aware  that  this  is  not  the 
case  in  the  larger  forts  and  factories,  but  at  a  place  like 
Fort  Yukon — which  must  be,  by  the  way,  a  profitable  sta- 
tion— no  provisions  worth  speaking  of  are  brought  in  at 
all,  although  large  quantities  of  heavy  goods,  hardware, 
guns,  etc.,  are  transported  thither. 

The  fur-room  of  the  fort  was  a  sight  not  to  be  witnessed 
every  day ;  thousands  of  marten-skins  hanging  from  the 
beams,  and  huge  piles  of  common  furs  lying  round.  They 
also  get  a  very  respectable  number  of  silver-gray  and  black 
foxes.  Apropos  of  the  latter,  I  once  heard  an  anecdote, 
bearing  rather  heavily  on  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company.  A 
man  in  their  service  purchased,  in  the  hurry  of  trading,  a 
fictitious  black-fox  skin — one  that  had  been  originally  white, 
but  that  had  been  dyed  by  Mr.  Indian,  perhaps  as  a  grim 


MisriioNAKY  Work. 


latter 

imply 
more 
.  coast 
rment 
t  some 

is"  of 
'  make 
y   had 
r  capi- 
d  pots 
:ler  the 
e  treat 
ie  inac- 
an  get 
Iraw  a 
oorest 
ot  the 
e  like 
le  sta- 
t  in  at 
dware, 

tnessed 

)m  the 

They 

black 

jcdote, 

ling,  a 

white, 

la  grim 


joke  on  the  company.  Of  course  the  fraod  was  eventually 
discovered,  but  it  did  not  end  there.  T\\q  ffdl  commercial 
value  of  the  fur  was  charged  against  the  salary  of  the  un- 
fortunate trader,  who  thus  paid  more  pounds  than  it  had 
cost  shillings  at  the  time  of  purchase.  If  this  be  true,  com- 
ment is  superfluous. 

The  wolverine  is  specially  valued  by  all  the  Indians,  on 
account,  doubtless,  of  the  difficulty  in  capturing  it.  These 
furs — in  commerce  nearly  worthless — are  yet  bought  by 
the  Iludson's  Bay  Company,  who  then  intrust  them  to  In- 
dians well  known  at  the  forts  to  trade  at  a  distance  for 
marten  or  other  skins.     Mr.  Ked-skin  is  allowed  half  profits. 

The  tariff  fixed  for  Fort  Yukon  was  rather  higher  than 
that  of  the  Russian  posts.  A  gun  nominally  worth  about 
forty  shillings  brought  twenty  "  skins."  This  term  is  the 
old  one  employed  by  the  compan3^  One  "skin"  (beaver) 
is  supposed  to  be  worth  two  shillings  (!)  and  it  represents 
two  marten,  and  so  on.  You  heard  a  great  deal  about 
"skins"  at  Fort  Yukon,  as  the  workmen  were  also  charged 
for  clothing,  etc.,  in  this  wa}''.  If  we  asked  the  worth  of  a 
pair  of  unmentionables,  we  were  told  six  "skins:"  a  pair 
of  common  moccasins  represented  one  skin,  and  so  on. 

During  our  stay,  the  Rev.  Mr.  M 'Donald,  who  is  a  repre- 
sentative of  our  Church  Missionary  Society,  held  several 
services  with  the  Indians,  addressing  them  sometimes  di- 
rectly, and  sometimes  through  the  fort  interpreter,  Antoine 
Iloule — a  man  who  speaks  French,  English,  and  any  num- 
ber of  Indian  dialects.  They  listened  with  apparent  atten- 
tion, and  joined  in  some  singing.  This  gentleman  has 
taught  some  of  the  younger  people  to  read  English,  and 
his  influence  is  doubtless  good.  I  could  not,  however,  help 
thinking  that  with  an  audience  of  Indians,  representing 
half  a  dozen  different  tribes,  speaking  as  many  dialects,  it 
must  be  ver}'  questionable  whether  they  all  understand  the 

R 


i^ 


258 


Missionary  Work. 


t^ :  I, 


:m 


I    It:, 


;;:• ,  /' 


rsP 


missionary's  words.  As  in  otter  places,  so  here  there  is  a 
general  jargon  called  "broken  slavee,"  used  for  purposes 
of  intercourse;  but  such  a  bastard  dialect  will  barely  ex- 
press the  language  of  common  life,  how  much  less  then  the 
figurative  language  of  the  Bible.''^  One  of  the  great  diffi- 
culties in  Mr.  M'Donald's  way  in  this  place  is  that  the  In- 
dians are  for  the  larger  part  of  the  year  scattered  all  over 
the  country  hundreds  of  miles  apart.  Of  the  gentleman 
iiimself  I  can  only  speak  in  the  highest  terms;  he  is  an 
undoubtedly  earnest  and  zealous  missionary,  and  he  has 
one  point  in  his  lu  or,  that  so  far  no  whisky  trader  has 
oome  in  to  interfere  with  the  good  work  in  which  he  is  en- 
gaged, and  that  no  rival  sect,  so  far  as  Fort  Yukon  is  con- 
cerned, is  present  to  unsettle  the  minds  of  his  converts. 

It  is  worthy  of  mention  that  minute  specks  of  gold  have 
been  found  by  some  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  men 
in  the  Yukon,  but  not  in  quantities  to  warrant  a  "  rush"  to 
the  locality. 

On  the  29th  June  Ketch um  and  Labarge  returned  from 
their  trip  to  Fort  Selkirk.  It  will  be  remembered  that  in 
the  winter  they  left  us  at  Nulato,  and  were  to  proceed  on 
the  frozen  Yukon  to  the  Hudson's  Bay  fort.  This  trip 
they  '-iad  performed,  but  with  great  difficulty.  It  ha  1  oc- 
cupied them  nearly  two  months,  owing  mainly  to  the  soft- 
ness of  the  snow  and  insufficient  dog-feed.     The  river,  too, 

*  Wc  find  in  our  own  land  that  the  Oriental  tinpe,  the  metaphors  and 
])i;rablf;s  of  the  Bible,  render  it  somewhat  hard  to  be  understood,  though  we 
iire  addressed  by  teachers  of  our  own  race,  who  have  a  perfect  command  of 
our  own  hmguajije.  The  missionary,  with  at  tlie  best  a  foreigner's  knowl- 
edge of  a  strange  tongue,  addresses  those  who  have  no  col/ateral  education  to 
assist  them,  and  who  know  little  of  any  thing  but  their  own  immediate  sur- 
laundings.  I  have  shown  before  how  a  jihenomenon  of  nature  had  no 
name  in  tlie  Cliinook  jargon,  and  that  the  jihrase  "children  of  the  forest" 
lould  only  be  translated  in  a  manner  to  excite  the  Indian's  laughter.  It  is 
not,  then,  difficult  to  understand  how  the  jxjctry  of  the  Hihle  might  become 
the  subject  of  a  jest,  and  its  imagery  be  wholly  unintelligible. 


The  Upper  Yukon. 


250 


c  IS  a 
'})oses 
ly  ex- 
en  the 
tdiffi- 
he  In- 
1  over 
pieman 
3  is  an 
be  has 
ler  has 
3  is  en- 
is  cou- 
rts. 

Id  have 
^'s  men 
lUsh'-  to 

id.  from 
that  in 
ceed  on 
his  trip 
ha  1  oc- 
he  soft- 
er, too, 

Lliors  find 
jhoiigh  we 
Inmand  of 
Ks  knowl- 
VuratJon  to 
Idiiite  sur- 
|e  liad  no 
lie  forest" 
ter.     It  is 
lit  become 


commenced  its  break-up  before  they  reached  Fort  Yukon, 
and  their  journey  hiy  through  rotten  ice  and  water. 

As  soon  as  the  river  broke  up  fairly,  and  at  about  the 
same  time  that  we  started  for  Fort  Yukon,  thci/  started  for 
Fort  Selkirk  (always  known  as  ^Ir.  Campbell's  Fort),  now 
an  abandoned  station.  Great  difficulty  had  been  experi- 
enced by  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  in  keeping  that  fort 
supplied  with  trading-goods ;  and  Indians  coming  from  a 
distance,  and  unable  to  sell  their  f 'rs,  had  threatened  the 
yrarrison  on  Severn^  occasions.  After  it  was  deserted  the 
natives  had  burnt  it  down  ;  Ketchum  brought  us  a  piece 
of  its  blackened  remains. 

He  found  the  Upper  Yukon  running  for  the  most  part 
through  mountain  gorges,  but  navigable  for  the  whole  dis- 
tance (600  miles).  Their  supplies  of  meat  and  game  had 
been  good,  the  Indians  everywhere  peaceable,  and  desirous 
of  seeing  more  of  the  white  man  ;  their  trip  had  been  made 
in  twenty-nine  days,  ascending  and  camping  every  night, 
and  four  days  descending  the  stream,  (without  camping). 
The  general  course  of  the  river  agreed  with  that  laid  down 
o'l  Arrowsmith's  maps.  Ketchum  gave  me  two  fir-cones, 
brought  from  Fort  Selkirk,  which  Dr.  Hooker  kindly  ex- 
amined, and  determined*  to  be  Plnus  contorta — a  variety 
never  observed  by  us  on  the  lower  course  of  the  Yukon, 
much  of  which  is,  be  it  observed,  in  a  higher  latitude. 

I  had,  in  conversation  with  the  Rev.  Mr,  ]\[ 'Donald, 
learned  that  the  Indians  from  the  Chilcat  River  (N.  W. 
coast  of  Russian  America,  about  lat.  59°  N.)  sometimes  came 
across  to  the  Yukon  at  Fort  Selkirk  in  fifteen  or  twenty 
days.  Ketchum's  inquiries  elicited  the  same  fact,  which 
has  been  confirmed  since  my  return  to  England  by  infor- 
mation obtained  from  Captain  Dodd,  of  the  "  Beaver,"*  by 

*  Tlk!  o\d  "  Beaver,"  now  temporarily  used  as  a  surveyinff-ves<(>l  ou  the 
cuast  of  Britisli  Columbia,  was  the  lirst  steam-vessel  on  tlie  I'aeitie.     blie 


I 


fir^. 


260 


T]'' 


The  Kat  Indians, 


,1    l! 


Admiral  Colliiisou,  C.  B.,  wlio  lias  very  obligingly  laid  be- 
fore rriu  extracts  iVoin  IjIs  private  journal  (kept  on  U.  M.S. 
"Enterprise"  when  engaged  in  the  scareli  lor  Sir  John 
Franklin).  Up  to  the  present  time,  I  believe,  no  white  man 
has  ever  made  the  journey.  Mr.  Campbell  used,  by  means 
of  the  natives,  to  communicate  with  Captain  Dodd  on  board 
the  "  Beaver  "  in  Lynn  Canal.  A  co})y  of  a  chart  rudely 
drawn  by  the  natives  was  obtained  by  Admiral  Collinson. 
This  sketch-map  showed  a  river,  emptying  into  the  ices/ 
branch  of  Lynn  Canal,  which  the  natives  ascended,  and  then 
made  a  land  journey  to  a  lake  which  itself  was  the  source 
of  the  Lewis  Kiver,  a  tributary  of  the  Yukon.  The  return 
journey  occupied  them  fifty  days,  much  of  it  being  agjunst 
the  stream. 

The  Hat  Indians  (the  natives  on  the  Rat  or  Porcupine 
River,  who  trade  at  Fort  Yukon)  also  communicate,  main- 
ly v/'d  the  Mackenizc  River,  w^ith  the  coast  natives.  In  an 
extract,  from  Admiral  Collinson's  journal  (July  2-i,  1854, 
Camden  Bay),  I  find  the  following  note.  Speaking  of  some 
delay,  he  says,  "  It  was  so  far  fortunate  as  it  enabled  our 
Baxter  Island  friends  (the  Esquimaux)  to  pay  us  another 
visit,  and  we  soon  found  out  that  they  had  several  strangers 
with  them,  the  chief  of  whom  produced  a  paper  on  wdiich 
was  written,  '  The  printed  slips  of  paper  delivered  by  the 
officers  of  11.  M.  S.  "  Plover"  on  the  25th  April,  1854,  to 
the  Rat  Indians,  were  received  on  the  27th  June  (of  the 
same  year)  at  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  establishment. 
Fort  Yukon.'     The  Rat  Indians  are  in  the  habit  of  making 

was  taken  out  in  183;"  (nV?  Capo  Horn)  by  the  TTiidson's  Ray  Company,  and 
iliis  fact  deserves  to  be  recorded,  as  it  was  not  till  1838  tliat  the  "Great 
Western" — the  ])ioncer  of  otir  ocean  service  to  America — made  lier  firsi 
trip  across  the  Athuitic.  The  "  lieaver "  is  now  commanded  by  Lieut. 
Pender,  R.  N.,  who  bar,  been  so  often  honorably  mentioned  in  connectimi 
with  this  survey  by  Sir  lioderick  I.  Murchison,  in  iiis  annual  addresses  tn 
the  Koyal  Geograpliical  ISociety. 


■  7-     • 


FoKT  Yl'Kux  Sledge. 


liC.l 


periodical  ti'iidiug  excursions  to  the  Esquimaux  along  the 
sua-coast.  Thoy  are  a  harmless,  inoflcnsive  set  of  ludiahs, 
ever  ready  and  willing  to  render  every  assistance  they  can 
to  wliites."  This  paper  was  signed  by  Mr.  llardisty,  then 
clerk  ill  charge  of  Fort  Yukon,  now  commander  of  the 
whole  district  (^[ackenzic  River,  northern  dep.vrtment). 
These  facts  may  be  of  some  value  to  the  future  traveller  in 
that  country. 

The  sledge  used  at  this  fort,  and  generally  througli  the 
Hudson's  Bay  territory  at  this  part  of  the  continent,  is  per- 
haps the  simplest  in  the  world.  It  is  nothing  but  a  plank 
twelve  to  sixteen  feet  in  length,  one  end  bent  upward  in  a 
prow-like  form,  having  been  softened  by  steam  for  the  pur- 
pose. Thongs  keep  the  curved  end  in  its  place,  and  a  few- 
cross-pieces  and  lashings  complete  it.  It  is  a  kind  special- 
ly adapted  for  soft  snow.  Runners  are  occasionally,  but 
by  no  means  universally,  added.  The  snow-shoes  common- 
ly adopted  were  shorter  than  those  employed  by  the  Rus- 
sians, and  were  pointed  at  either  end. 


i^^i5^2if^  a^^ 


FOIiT  YUKON  SLEDGE  (L0ADE1>). 


i 


202 


UlilFTlNG    DOWN    StKEAM 


I.M' 


''■;i 


n_ 


t   h 


:    M 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

TiESCENT  OF  THE  YL^KON. 

Drifting  down  the  Stream.— Yukon  Saltnon. — Arrival  at  Nulato, — Over- 
dose of  Arsenic  and  Ali'oliol. — Trij)  resunied. — Indian  Music. — Anvic. — 
Tl»c  Mission. — KaitlKiuake  on  the  Water. — Andieavski. — Tlio  Moutlis 
of  the  Yukon. — Smith's  Observations. — I'astolik. — St.  Michael's. — Prog- 
ress of  tlie  Tolegrapii. — Frozen  Soil. — Scurvy. — Arrival  o''our  Bark. — 
Plover  Bay. — Return  lo  San  Francisco, 

On  tliG  8th  July  our  "baidarre"  having  been  repaired, 
we  took  two  additional  birch-bark  canoes,  and  all  started 
down,  determined  to  travel  day  and  night  to  Nulato.  Bid- 
ding adieu  to  our  friends,  who  honored  us  with  a  grand 
salvo  of  musketry,  we  pushed  out  into  the  stream,  and  soon 
found  we  should  have  little  need  to  exert  ourselves.  The 
(jurrent  took  us  at  the  rate  of  100  miles  a  day  (of  twenty- 
four  hours);  and  usually  our  canoes  were  all  lashed  togeth- 
er, with  sometimes  a  rude  awning  erected  over  all  three, 
under  which  we  smoked  and  dozed.  We  slept  and  ate 
our  frugal  meals  on  board,  only  going  ashore  twice  or 
thrice  a  day  to  boil  our  tea  and  fry  our  fish.  This  was  in- 
deed a  holiday  excursion,  and  all  the  more  appreciated  aft- 
er our  experience  of  ascending  the  stream.  All  that  was 
necessary  was  for  one  man  to  steer ;  and,  except  when  we 
drifted  out  of  the  current,  or  stuck  on  a  bar,  our  trip  was 
made  without  trouble  of  any  kind.  I  do  not,  of  course, 
propose  to  narrate  the  incidents  of  our  return  journey  to 
Nulato,  as  it  was  over  the  same  part  of  the  river  that  we 
had  already  passed  over.     On  the  10th  we  arrived  at  the 


Yukon  Salmon. 


9*S" 


"Rapids"  above  Nuclukayette,  and  found  the  Island  of 
rocks  looming  out  of  t  3  water  very  distinctly,  and  tlie  Ce- 
rent much  less  strong  than  before.  Early  on  the  11th  vc 
reached  Nuclukayette  ;  the  Indians  had  separated,  and  oniy 
a  few  remained  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river  drying  fish. 

The  Yukon  salmon  is  by  no  means  to  be  despised.  Oru- 
large  variety  is  so  rich  that  there  is  no  necessity,  when  iVy- 
ing  it,  to  put  fat  in  the  pan.  They  arc  taken  all  down  the 
river  in  weirs  set  in  shallow  places,  in  hand-nets  of  circular 
form,  and  by  spearing.  We  saw  i)"^  very  pretty  sight  of  a 
whole  fleet  of  birch-barks,  proceeding  .gether  as  regularly 
as  a  company  of  soldiers.  At  a  ^;ivca  signal  the  owners 
of  each  dipped  his  round  hand-net  into  the  water,  and  if,  on 
raising  it,  a  big  salmon  came  up  Ltruggling  to  get  away, 
there  was  a  general  shout  of  ""erision.  I  saw  so  much 
harmless  fun  and  amusement  among  these  Indians,  and  they 
evidently  find  so  much  enjoyment  in  hunting  and  fishing, 
that  I  could  only  wish  they  might  never  see  much  of  the 
white  man,  and  never  learn  the  baneful  habits  and  customs 
he  is  sure  to  introduce. 

There  are  at  least  two,  and  I  think  three,  varieties  of 
Yukon  salmon.*  The  larger  kind  sometimes  measures  five 
feet.  I  have  seen  boats  whose  sides  were  made  of  the  tough 
skin;  they  are,  however,  not  common,  and  not  confined  to 
the  Lower  Yukon  and  coast.  On  the  13th  we  arrived  at 
Nulato.  Our  journey  had  occupied  but  five  days  twenty 
hours  for  600  miles.f  Here  we  received  an  indefinite  com- 
munication with  regard  to  our  company ;  one  part  of  it  was, 
however,  plain  —  that  every  thing  portable  was  to  be 
brought  to  St.  Michael. 

*  Two  varieties  of  Yukon  salmon  ("obtained  thronph  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company),  Sulino  consnefNs  and  Sithiio  dermatinus,  are  described  in  the 
"Zoology  of  the  Voyage  f.f  II.  M.  S.  Herald.'' 

t  It  will  be  remembered  that  the  same  distance  had  taken  us  twenty-six 
days  ascending  the  stream. 


%: 


''U  1 


I''      I 


% 


IS  . 

Is '  ■ 


204 


Tndi  an  M  l'sio. 


Ill  our  :i,bsciK'o,  I* ,  ii  workman,  hud  stolon  soriK!  ur- 

scnically  prepared  alcolu)!,  iiiteiidctl  lor  llic  preservation 
of  natural  history  specimens.  Wishing  to  ingratiate  him- 
self with  the  Russians,  and,  Jis  we  charitably  presumed, 
believing  the  alcohol  to  be  i)ure,  he  gave  some  of  them  a 
good  drink.  The  I'csidt  can  be  imagined.  Our  poor  Mus- 
e(jvite  friends  sullere*!  severely  from  inward  gripes  and 
colic;  had  it  not  been  for  the  large  quantity  they  had  taken 
they  would  have  been  killed.     The  overdose  saved  tliem. 

Before  leaving  we  obtained  a  larger  skin  boat  and  two 
extra  Indians,  and  at  half-})ast  eleven  of  the  evening  of  the 
15th  July  we  made  a  start  down  the  great  river,  determin- 
ing to  travel  as  before  without  camping.  Before  six  o'clock 
next  morning  wo  passed  Coltog,  the  point  where  we  had  in 
our  sledge  journey  first  struck  the  Yukon.  This,  a  dis- 
tance of  forty-five  miles,  was  made  within  seven  hours,  a 
result  due  partly  to  our  \'igorous  rowing,  partly  to  the 
swift  current.  We  passed  many  Indian  villages,  at  which 
the  Ingeletes  were  drying  fish.  Our  Indians,  as  well  as 
ourselves,  made  the  hills  and  river-banks  echo  with  songs; 
all  of  us  feeling  "  gay  and  festive,"  as  the  Americans  say, 
and  cheerfully  looking  forward  to  seeing  our  ships.  I  could 
not  help  remarking  the  air  of  an  Indian  chorus  sung  by 
our  boatmen — usually  in  nijson — which  is  here  presented 
to  the  reader,  a  "  song  without  words." 

Lento.  Tremolamlo, 


It  was  said  to  be  an  obsolete  song,  for  the  words  were  not 
intelligible  Lp  the  present  people  of  the  Yukon. 

On  the  17th,  at  3  a.m.,  we  reached  Yakutzkclignik,  an 
Indian  village  then  uninhabited,  and  later  in  the  day  wc 


11  1 


V  I  I,I.A<i  K    OK    A  X  VK" 


20.*; 


'hicli 
i\\  as 


m 


passed  several  small  villag(\s,  among  the  principal  of  which 
was  Shagluok,  which  is  situated  on  the  western  bank,  op- 
posite the  mouth  of  a  river  of  the  same  name,  and  wht-re  ;i 
great  "slough"  of  the  Yukon  exists.  At  several  of  the 
villages  we  obtained  salmon,  dried  and  fresh,  and  on<.'  white 
swan,  which  proved  very  tough  eating.  In  the  evening 
wo  came  to  rapids,  of  which  the  Kussians  had  given  ns  u 
very  exaggerated  account.  A  steep  bliill' ainitling  on  ihi* 
river,  and  no  beach,  mak(!S  "tracking"  from  tlie  bunk  dii- 
licult,  but  the  current  is  simply  unusually  strong,  and  we 
siiw  no  falls  whatever. 

On  the  I8th  a  head-wind  impcMled  us,  and  wc  stopped  at 
the  village  of  Auvic,  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  of  the  same 
name.  It  is  one  of  the  largest  Indian  settlements  of  the 
Lower  Yukon.  There  wo  saw  native  pots  and  jars  of  clay, 
well  fashioned,  and  used  by  the  Indians  for  ctjoking  j)ur- 
poses.  The  natives  therc^,  and  generally  on  the  lower  river, 
were  of  miserable  appearance  and  badly  clothed  ;  they  sec 
less  of  traders  than  even  the  upper  Indians.  They  were 
very  easily  satisfied  with  our  payments  for  Gsh,  etc.  For 
five  needles,  or  le=s  than  that  number,  we  could  buy  a 
thirty-})ound  salmon,  and  tobacco  W(;nt  further  than  we  had 
ever  known  it  do  before.  Glazoonav,  the  first  Kussian  ex- 
plorer of  the  Yukon,  reached  this  point  from  the  nojtheru 
mouth  of  the  river  in  1835. 

11)///. — Head-wind.  We  p.assed  tlircc  villages,  at  one  of 
which  the  wooden  bowls,  or  "contogs,"  used  all  over  the 
country,  are  manufactured.  The  tribe  inhabiting  this  part 
of  the  country  is  known  as  the  "  Primoske  "  people.  On 
the  20th,  at  half-past  four  in  the  morning,  we  reached  the 
"  Missie,"  or  Mission,  once  exclusively  what  its  nanu^  im- 
plies, but  now  both  the  residence  of  a  priest  of  the  Greek 
Church  and  the  sole  Russian  trading-post  on  the  lower 
river.     We  met  the  priest,  or  "pope,"  as  the  Russians  term 


frit 


iift 


li 


If 


It; 

li 


2t;«) 


ClKIM;  V    OF    'I'll  K    (i  liKKK     ClI  T  UCIf. 


him,  afUTwaiHl  at  St.  Micliacrs,  and  a  very  saintly  and 
li(^avilyd)i'ardcd  individual  lie  was,  but  said  to  Ix;  by  iio 
means  averse  to  tlie  l)ottle.  'V\\c  inlerior  clergy  ul'  th<' 
(ireek  Church  generally  are,  as  far  as  my  ex[)erience  goc>, 
a  convivial  and  social  set  of  men.  At  I'etropaulovski,  on 
one  festive  occasion,  the  most  inebriated  per.s(;n  present  was 
one  of  these  representatives  of  the  Church.  It  struck  us 
as  a  very  curious  thing  to  lu'ar  the  foreign  merchants  at 

the  above  town    speaking  of  Madame  ,  the  "  popcV 

wife,"  although  we  were  wi'll  aware  that  the  Greek  clergy 
were  allowed  to  marry.  I  had  the  honor  of  dancing  on 
one  occasion  with  the  "  pope's"  daughter. 

Tliv'  Russians  had  centrali/A-d  their  forces  at  the  ^Mission, 
and  had  withdrawn  them  IVoni  Andi-eavski — to  be  hereafter 
mentioned — and  from  the  KohnakolV  Kedoubt  on  the  Kos- 
kequim  Jiiver.  From  this  place  they  made  periodical  trad- 
ing excursions. 

Most  of  the  Russians  were  absent  on  their  annual  trip 
to  St.  ^liehael'Sj  but  those  remaining — three  in  number — 
soon  placed  the  "samovar"  on  the  table,  and  wc  went 
through  the  indispensable  rite  of  drinking  tea  togelhei. 
They  had  experienced  a  shock  of  earthquake  the  night  be- 
fore; we  had  felt  it  on  the  water  as  though  our  canoe  had 
suddenly  come  into  collision  with  a  rock  or  *'  snag."  The 
cliirat  the  iMission  is  of  rock,  riddled  with  holes — like  that 
of  St.  Michael's — but  of  a  more  crumbling  nature.  The 
settlement  comprises  a  chapel,  with  two  buildings  attached, 
the  property  of  the  priest,  and  three  logdiouscs  a}")pertain- 
mg  to  the  fur  company.  There  is  no  fort  or  enclosed  space. 
Immediately  adjoining  is  a  Primoske  village,  with  houses 
on  the  surfiice  much  resembling  those  wc  had  seen  at  Sitka. 

We  stopped  there  about  three  hours,  and  then  resumed 
our  journey,  passing  more  Indian  houses  and  one  village 
like  that  just  mentioned.     The  Indians  brought  alongside 


A  N  MUKA  VSK  I. 


our  lnr^(^  boat,  fisli,  ducks,  and  ;_^('cs(',  and  always  appeared 
coiitunLcd  with  wlial  vvu  paid  them,  askin;^  lur  no  prest-nty 
— a  circuinsLancc.  that  suijnised  and  «^ratilii;d  uh,  as  we 
were  nearly  outol'tradin^^'-^oods.  All  wen;  j)()orly  clothed, 
aiul  rich  in  nothing  but  ILsh,  their  staple  diet  suninier  and 
wintei'.  It  is  HO  Jil)undunt  that  they  rarely  limit,  althou^jjh 
the  (Country  looks  like  a  ^ood  locality  I'or  deer,  it  is  wood- 
ed, with  hills  more;  or  less  bare. 

We  travelled  almost  exelusively  on  th(i  west  side  (tfthe 
river  from  Nulato  downward,  The  ni;^dit  of  the  2()th-li  Isl 
wo  drifted  into  a  lieavy  log,  so  that  we  could  not  s(;e  the 
bows  of  our  canoe,  and  trusted  ourselves  entirely  to  the 
current,  ^rhe  morning  broke  fine,  .and  cleared  up  foi'  a 
hot  day,  7G"  Fahr.  in  the  shade,  ^i'he  banks  of  the  lowei' 
river  are  much  wooded.  Lon^^  stretclies  of  uninvitinj/ 
country,  islands,  and  "sloughs"  innumerable  mad(!  our 
travelling  monotonous.  The  current  was  more  sluggish, 
yet  cert,ainly  averaged  tliree  knots  an  hour.  In  spring  it 
is  much  moi-e  rapid.  A  steamer,  of  good  power,  capable 
of  <»;()ing  ten  or  twelve  knots,  and  built  in  the  AiiKjrican 
manner,  as  most  suitable  to  a  swift  shallow  river,  with  flat 
bottom  and  stern-wheel,  could  proceed  1800  miles  on  the 
Yukon,  and  sap  the  entire  fur-trade  of  the  country.  Such 
an  experiment  has  been  projected  by  traders  in  San  Fran- 
cisco. If  the  United  States  Oovcrnment  would — in  the  in- 
terests of  exploration — undertake  this,  a  com{)aratively  in- 
expensive survey  of  the  whole  Yukon  and  surrounding 
country  might  be  very  easily  accomplished. 

On  the  early  morning  of  the  22d  we  reached  the  aban- 
doned fort  Andreavski  {Andreas  Adanoi.dikt)^  and  found 
there  one  solitary  white  man,  with  an  Indian.  He  "^  is,  for 
a  Russian,  in  a  very  deplorable  pliglit — he  was  qii.u;  out 
of  tea!  and,  as  we  were  enabled  to  supply  him  with  a  little, 
we  made  his  heart  rejoice.     lie  soon  busied  himself  in  get- 


fs  1 


w^ 


208 


AIOUTIIS    OF    TIIK   Yl'KON 


ting  out  some  coarse  b^'cad  and  raw  salt-lisli.  Tliis  place 
liad  a  ]"egular  enclosure,  but  bad  no  bastions.  Two  old 
cannon  were  lying  rusty  and  unused  in  the  yard. 

AV^e  borrowed  the  liussian's  sole  companion  to  show  us 
the  opening  to  the  "A})hoon,"  or  northern  mouth  of  the 
Yukon.  The  course  followed  was  approximately  N.N.\V'. 
to  the  sea,  but  the  other  mouths  trend  much  to  the  W.  and 
S.W.  At  half-past  8  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  tlie  2od 
we  entered  it.  '^I'his  mouth  is  distimj-uislied  from  the  others 
by  willows  and  larger  trees  on  its  banks;  the  other  open- 
in<rs  are  lar<>'er,  and  more  shallow,  and  have  little  ve^'eta- 
tion  on  tlie  islands  and  baidvs.  The  Aphoon  mouth  is  a 
passage  of  a  narrow  and  intricate  nature;  streams  enter  it, 
and  passages  from  the  Kwich-pak  mouth.  There  is  water 
enough  for  a  clumsy  sloop  or  "barkass"  brought  up  an- 
nually by  the  Eussians.     It  has  a  tide. 

Mr.  Everett  Smith — a  sailor  by  profession,  and  a  member 
of  our  expedition — very  carefully  examined  the  Kwich- 
pak'''  or  Yukon  mouths,  and  from  his  notes,  obligingly  put 
at  my  disposal,  I  glean  the  following  information. 

Mr.  Smith  found  that  while  the  "  Koosilvae"  mouth  gave 
soundings  of  from  two  and  a  half  to  nine  fathoms,  a  vessel 
could  only  enter  it  by  going  out  first  some  distance  to  sea. 
The  intermediate  mouths  were  too  shallow,  and  he  came  to 
the  conclusion  that  the  Aphoon  mouth  was  the  only  avail- 
able one.  His  sketch-map  (which  I  have  incorporated  with 
my  own)  shows  innumerable  passages  running  between  the 


*  Kwich-pak  (pronouncod  Kwif-pak)  is  the  namG  given  to  the  river  hy 
the  Imliaiis  of  x\u\  iieijrhhorhood,  ami  the  term  was  adopted  by  tlie  lius- 
siaiis.  On  the  up])('r  river  the  Co-yukons  and  other  natives  call  it  "Yii- 
kona.''  and  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  adopted  their  name.  Both  sijj;niiy 
"big  river."  Per]iai)s  "Yukon"  would  better  represciit  the  true  ])ronun- 
ciation  of  the  word.  It  has  not  yet  become  a  familiar  name  fo  jreo^ra- 
phers,  and,  in  conseciuenoe,  may  be  found  spelled  in  all  ways — Yu/ioit,  Yucon, 
Youcuit,  and  Yoid'on. 


P A  s  T  o  L 1 K  —  St.  ^ 1 1  c  J 1  a  i:  l  '  s  . 


2Gy 


mouths.  ITu  found  tlicin  blocked  with  ice  till  the  first  of 
June.  Gcnerully  the  water  outside  was  extremely  shoal ; 
Smith  found  it  fresh  ten  miles  out  at  sea,  and  there  is  litile 
doubt  that  this  is  true  for  a  greater  distance.  The  Indians 
drive  the  "balougu,"  or  white  grampus,  into  the  shallow 
water  of  the  Kwich-pak,  and  there  spear  them.  On  native 
authoj'ity,  it  is  said  that  whales  from  Behring  Sea  go  into 
the  mouths  to  calve.  Geese  and  ducks  arc  for  a  season 
extremely  abundant ;  some  breed  there,  but  a  larger  num- 
ber take  their  flight  to  the  Arctic.  Smith,  in  three  davs, 
shot  lU-l.  My  friend,  Mr.  Dyer,  our  Nulato  quartermaster, 
who  accompanied  Smith  for  a  part  of  the  time  taken  up  in 
this  examination  of  the  mouths,  told  me  that  wild  fowj  and 
geese  eggs  were  so  plentiful  that  he  c<^uld  pui'chase  from 
the  Indians  ten  for  a  needle  !  and  obtain  them  by  the  hun- 
dred. 

23(/. — We  reached  Pastolik,  a  villaue  on  the  coast  at  the 
outlet  of  the  Aphoon  mouth  sixty-live  miles  from  St.  ^li- 
chael's,  and,  for  the  first  time  after  leaving  Nulato,  slept 
ashore.  This  place  is  celebrated  for  the  manufacture  of 
skin  boats,  and  among  the  natives  we  saw  a  number  of 
small  bone  carvings,  some  of  which  we  purchased  for  nee- 
dles, etc.  On  the  morning  of  the  2-Ith  we  hired  a  second 
and  more  sea-wo'-thy  "baidarre,"  and,  dividing  our  crew, 
sailed  in  compan}' ;  passing  the  Magemute  village  of  l^ik- 
niigtalik,  we  readied  in  the  evening  the  "canal"  (as  the 
Russians  term  it,  and  it  is  really  little  more)  which  sepa- 
rates the  Island  of  St.  Michael's  from  the  main-land.  We 
tracked  through  some  parts  of  it,  and  proceeding  without 
campim};  at  nis'ht,  arrived  atlledoubt  St.  ]\richael's  at  3  P.M. 
on  the  25th.  Our  journey  of  nearly  1300  miles  liad  occu- 
pied us  but  fifteen  and  a  half  days  (/.  c,  nine  and  a  half 
days  from  Nulato,  added  to  five  days  twenty  hours  from 
Fort  Yukon  to  Nulato). 


11  Vil 

ft'  I 


270     Aha  NDON  M  KN  r  of  'i'iik  TKi-KdiiA  I'li. 


■mih 


Our  friiMiils  of  the  expedition  tj!;;iv(;  us  a  wai'iu  ree(>ption, 
ami  iul'onued  us  iJiat  Mmjdi-  Wright  liad  ealK^l  al.  Si.  Mi- 
chael's in  th(!  l)ark  "  CMara  IVdl  "  to  give  us  notice  to  get 
rcadv  for  ;iii  iuiiui'diatc  departure — that  the  telegraph  en- 
lerpi'ise  liad  i)een  abandoned. 

Our  men  (hii'ing  wintiM'  h;id  hccu  cn'i]ilov(Ml  in  huildinu- 
I.e](\gr;tpii,  and  t'ani[)ing  out  for  weeks  togethtu'  at  teni[)(>ra- 
tures  IVe(pientIy  below  tlu>  IVeivJiig-poiut  oC  mercury  !  Jn 
such  aclimat/C  tliis  work  was  no  joke,  and  the  simple  j)i"()e- 
ess  of  digginu'  a  hole  to  receive  the  telegraph-pole  became 
a  dilVicult  opei'ation  wdicn  the  grountl  was  a  IVo/en  rock 
with  live  (ei't  oC  snow  on  the  to[>  of  it,  and  wliere  the  pick 
and  crow-bar  were  of  more  use  than  the  rpade  or  shovel. 
Kre(]uentl_v  the  snow  drifted  over  these  holes  lightl}',  and 
manv  amusing  incidents  had  occurred  of  men  tumbling 
down  into  theni  head  first,  or  slipping  in  and  getting  half 
buried  in  holes  that  they  had  dug  themselves.  Their  depth 
was  usually  three  feet,  varying  somewhat  with  the  nature 
oftlu'  soil  ;  to  dig  six  such,  and  clear  the  overlying  r?now, 
was  considered  a  good  day's  woi'k.  In  the  autumti  of  18()5 
(^olonel  Bulkley  visited  both  sides  of  Behring  Straits.  In 
(Irantley  Harbor,  Port  Clarence  (Russian  America),  he 
tbund  that  the  ground,  covered  with  a  heavy  growth  of 
moss  in  detached  bunchy  masses,  w^as  ilsclf  only  thawed  to 
about  ten  inches  beneath  the  surface,  and  below  that  was 
tVozen  solid.  Light  soil  on  the  Yukon  was,  w'c  found,  in 
summer  thawed  to  fifteen  or  eighteen  inches,  while  on  the 
Siberian  side  of  Behring  Straits  the  loose,  broken  debris  of 
rocks  was  thawed  to  a  depth  of  three  feet.  The  latter  was 
almost  devoid  of  vegetation. 

Then,  again,  our  men  had  found  that  their  axes  and 
()ther  tools  constantly  lost  their  edges,  when  used  on  frozen 
wood  or  soil,  and  cracked  to  pieces  from  the  influence  of 
intense  cold.     Vet  they  had  persevered,  and  luul  put  up  a 


rhoVKR     1)AV 


271 


l;ifg('  piece,  of  the  line;  and  I  can  svinp.'illii/c!  witli  IIk  W'^'.l- 
iii^  thai  |M'<>iii[)l('(l  SDiiu;  of  tliciii  at  ( 'ii;i,laclilcct,  Noi'tiMi 
Soiiik],  on  iM'ni'iii^M)!' the  witlidi'awal  oConi-  foi-ccs,  to  liaii^ 
l)!ack  cl(»tli  on  the  toh'graph-poK'S  and  put  thcni  iiit(;  nioiirn- 
mg! 

Soiiir  low  of  the  w<)rl\in(Mi  ha<i  siilVd'cd  fVoin  frost-hitc^ 
and  sciii'vy.  .\/>nipns  of  the  hiltcr  torrihle  sconr^",  it  is 
to  l»t'  i'('!iiark('<l  that  our  men  at  Port  ( 'hii"(;nc,c,  thi;  W(;i'st 
led  ol'all  our  parties,  who  had  liv(^(l  for  a,  h)ng  tirm;  on  a 
native  diet  of  walrns  and  seal  blnbhci',  liad  not  snlVd'ed 
IVoin  it  at  all,  while  tliose  in  Norton  Sound,  who  i^ol  a 
lair  amount  of  (lour,  etc.,  IVoni  the  Uussian  j)osts,  suH'ered 
severely  I'rorn  the  disease. 

On  the  18th  August,  after  many  .1  false  alarm  of  .'i  ''ship 
outside,"  the  "Clara  Btdl"  arrived,  and  on  the  2l)tli  of  the 
same  rnontli  we  were  all  gathered  onee  more  in  riovcjr 
Hay,  on  the  opposite  Asiatie  shore,  awaiting  the  arrival  of 
our  largest  vessel,  the  "  Niuli  tin  gale." 

In  riover  Bay  were  now  eneamped  120  men  who  had 
wintered  at  jilaees  as  widely  apart  as  the  Anadyr,  Plover 
T^ay  itself,  and  liussiau  America;  and  Miijor  Wright  and 
(/aptain  Norton,  of  the  "  Clara  Bell,"  deserved  great  credit 
for  the  energy  with  which  they  had  accomplished  the  task 
of  collecting  them.  To  most  of  the  stations  th  -v  had  paid 
two  visits:  the  first,  of  course,  to  give  notice  to  the  em- 
ployes in  the  interior.  Of  the  men  who  wintered  in  these 
almost  Arctic  spots,  but  one  had  died,  while  a  second,  smit- 
ten by  the  charms  of  some  lovely  squaw,  had  determined 
to  remain — a  voluntary  exile  in  Eastern  Siberia!  Captain 
Kelse}',  who  had  charge  of  the  Plover  Bay  station,  did  all 
in  his  powder  to  make  the  parties  comfortable  in  their  tem- 
porary camps.  Rude  erections  of  canvas,  sails,  poles,  and 
j)lanks,  lined  the  shores  of  the  little  harbor,  and  our  stay 
at  "Kelseyville  "  (as  it  has  been  already  inserted  on  a  map 


I       i 


970 


I'i  H  ( »  A  C  II  1  N  (J    A    K  K  (J     O  F    S  1'  E .  i  M  I'J  :>  rf  . 


issiK'il  by  the  Department  of  State  ut  WasLiiir^toji)  will  not 
soon  be  ibrgotten  by  us.  During  our  stay,  Captain  lled- 
(ield,  of  tlie  "  Manuella,"  arrived ;  and,  after  he  had  gol 
through  liis  trade  witli  the  natives,  gave  them  a  display  ol' 
lire-works  anil  blue-lights — a  thing  fre(piently  done  by  the 
whalers.  ^Flie  exhibition  took  plaee  on  a  lovely  evening, 
and  the  ealm  water  of  the  bay  gave  doublo  ell'ect  to  the 
scene. 

While  stopping  in  Plover  Bay,  some  of  our  men  ftjiind 
a,  keg  of  speeiinens  preserved  in  alcohol,  belonging  to  one 
of  our  Smithsonian  collectors.  Having  had  a  long  absti- 
nence fiom  exhilarating  drinks,  the  temptation  was  too 
nnieh  for  them,  and  they  proceeded  to  broach  the  contents. 
After  they  had  imbibed  to  their  hearts' conteiit  and  become 
'•  visibly  affected  thereby,"  tlu^y  thought  it  a  }nty  to  waste 
the  remaining  contents  of  the  barivl,  and,  feeling  hungry, 
went  on  to  eat  the  lizards,  snakes,  and  lish  which  had  been 
put  up  for  a  rather  different  purpose !  Science  was  avenged 
in  the  result,  nor  do  I  think  they  will  ever  repeat  the  cx- 
|)eriment. 

I  was  informed  by  r  ;  friends.  Bush,  M'Crca,  and  Farn- 
ham,  that  at  tlic  Anadyv  iliver  blinding  snow-storms  had 
bi^en  prevalent  during  winter,  and  between  log-houses  no 
more  than  a  hundred  yards  apart  it  had  been  found  neces- 
sary to  stretch  a  guidii^ig-rope  for  the  men.  One  of  our 
barks,  the  "Golden  Gate,"  had  been  wrecked  in  Anadyr 
Bay  the  previous  autunm  in  the  following  manner.  She 
liad  2;rounded  on  a  sand-bar,  and  the  ice  bad  formed  round 
her  before  she  could  be  got  off.  At  a  later  period  a  gale 
of  wind  raised  a  bad  sea,  and  the  ice,  smashing  u\)  round 
her,  stove  in  an  immense  leak,  and  she  was  eventually  much 
broken  up  in  the  hull.  All  her  stores,  rigging,  and  sails 
Wf^re  stripped  from  her,  but  fortunately  no  one  was  lost  or 
injured  by  her  wreck.     They  had  obtained  supplies  of  meat 


Retuun    ro   San  FuAyrMco. 


27:< 


ill  quantities.  On  one  occasion  tlioy  purchased  150  hoad 
of  reindeer,  and  preserved  the  venison  frozen  l(>r  sevcsiil 
montlis.  The  lierds  belonging  to  the  Tehuklchis  of  that 
part  of  Siberia  were  numbered  by  the  thousand. 

On  th(!  Oth  September  CoU)nel  liulkley  arrived  in  the 
*'  Nightingah;,"  and,  as  soon  as  every  thing  and  every  body 
was  on  board,  wo  set  sail  for  San  Francisco,  and  made  an 
excellent  run  there  in  twenty-two  days. 

S 


274 


TuE  Value  of  Alaska. 


ui  n 


J^4 


CHAPTEU  XXII. 

TUE  VALUE  OF  ALASKA. — THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  ESQUniAUX 
OF  NORTUEKX  ALASKA  AMI)  GREENLAND. 

The  Viiliie  of  Alaska. — Tlie  Furs  and  Fisheries. — The  Furchaso  an  Act  of 
Justice  to  llussiii. — The  Aleutian  Islands. — Volcanoes. — Hogoslov  Isl- 
and.— The  Asiatic  Origin  of  the  P^squimaux. — The  Tchuktchis. — Sea- 
going Canoes. — The  Voyages  of  two  Japanese  Junks. — The  connecting 
Links  between  the  Tciiuktciiis  and  the  Esquimaux. — Language. — De- 
generation of  the  Esquimaux. — Community  of  Goods. — The  "  Seha- 
nian  "  and  the  "  Angckok." 

That  Russian  America  is  likely  to  prove  a  bad  bargain 
to  the  United  States  Go  crnment,  I  can  not  believe.  The 
extreme  northern  division  of  the  country  may,  indeed,  be 
nearly  valueless,  but  the  foregoing  pages  will  have  shown 
that,  in  the  more  central  portions  of  the  territory,  furs  are 
abundont,  and  that  the  trade  in  them,  which  may  probably 
be  further  developed,  must  fall  into  American  hands.  The 
southern  parts  of  the  country  are  identical  in  character 
with  the  neighboring  British  territory,  and  will  probably  be 
found  to  be  as  rich  in  mineral  wealth ;  while  the  timber, 
thongli  of  an  inferior  growth,  owing  to  the  higher  latitude, 
will  yei  prove  by  no  means  worthless. 

The  fisheries  may  become  of  great  value.  There  are 
extensive  cod-banks  off  the  Aleutian  Isles,  and  on  many 
other  parts  of  the  coast.  Salmon  is  tJie  commonest  of  com- 
mon dsh  m  all  the  rivers  of  the  North  Pacific,  and  is  rated 
accordingly  as  food  only  fit  for  those  who  can  not  get  bet- 
ter. In  Alaska,  as  in  British  Columbia,  the  fish  can  be  ob- 
tained in  vast  quantities  simply  at  the  expense  of  native  la- 


F  I  SHE  11  IKS, 


27, 


bor.  To  this  add  the  value  of  salt  (or  vinegar),  barrels,  arul 
freight,  and  one  sees  the  slight  t(jtal  eost  whieli  would  be  in- 
curred in  exporting  to  benighted  Europe  that  which  there 
would  be  considered  a  luxury.* 

There  is  a  further  reason  wliy  the  United  States  have 
done  well  to  purchase  this  territory.  It  is  an  act  of  justice 
to  the  llussiau  Government.  For  the  past  twenty  years  the 
whalers  in  Behring  Sea  and  the  Arctic — who  are  mainly 
Americans — had  traded  at  certain  i)arts  of  the  coast,  and 
had  thereby  considerably  reduced  the  profits  of  the  Kussian 
American  Fur  Company.  Although  nominally  whalers, 
they  were  nearly  all  traders  also.  The  llussians,  albeit  al- 
ways hospitable,  were  naturally  very  averse  to  these  vessels 
putting  into  their  ports,  and  may  be  trading  under  their  very 
noses.  A  large  part  of  the  whaling-captains  had  conse- 
quently never  visited  many  of  the  larger  Eussian  settle- 
ments, such  as  Sitka,  Ounalaska,  St.  Paul's,  or  St.  Michael's. 
Now  all  these  and  many  other  ports  are  perfectly  open  to 
them,  while  the  cargoes  of  furs,  walrus  tusks,  oil,  etc.,  will 
enter  San  Francisco,  or  any  other  port  in  the  United  States, 
duty  free — an  important  consideration  to  them. 

The  chain  of  the  Aleutian  Isles,  comprising  four  groups 
(the  Fox,  Andreanoff,  Kat,  and  Blignie  islands),f  is  a  valua- 


*  In  Petropanlovski  a  merchant  told  me  that  he  had  made  in  this  way 
S$P)0OO  in  one  season,  at  no  more  trouhle  to  himself  than  that  incurred  in 
a  little  superintendence  of  the  natives  employed  The  enterprising  Ameri- 
can is  the  last  man  to  neglect  this  source  of  profit. 

A  recent  newspaper  "  Correspondent "  expresses  surprise  at  the  latest 
news  from  Sitka,  which  states  thac  the  carcass  of  a  deer  may  still  be  pur- 
chased there  for  three  or  four  dollars  (12s.  to  10.9.) ;  a  grouse  or  a  salmon 
for  2~>  cents  (is.).  But  they  are  worth  no  more  at  this  day  in  "Victoria 
(V.  I.),  in  the  towns  of  the  Columbia  or  Fraser  rivers,  and,  at  the  date  of 
my  visit  to  Sitka,  were  to  be  obtained  for  a  castaway  coat,  a  string  of  beads, 
or  a  few  charges  of  powder. 

+  Sarytschetr  (\vho  accompanied  Billings's  expedition  in  1701--*)  deter- 
mined the  geographical  positions  of  many  of  these  ishinds.  Cook,  Kotzebue^ 
Liitkc,  and  others  have  all  done  more  or  less  toward  the  same  end. 


276 


The  Aleutian  Islands. 


ble  part  of  the  lunv  i)urcljaso.  The  world  owes  their  first 
discovery  to  Bchring  (iu  1741).  Almost  immediately  after 
this  (from  the  year  1745)  Kussiau  merchants  of  Siberia 
commenced  trading  on  them,  and  to  them  we  owe  the  dis- 
covery of  the  larger  part  of  the  chain. 

It  tells  us  plaiidy  how  valuable  were  the  cargoes  of  furs, 
etc.,  then  obtained,  when  we  find  thai  out  of  eleven  record- 
ed voyages*  from  1745  to  1778,  five  w^ere  decidedly  unfor- 
tunate, either  ending  in  shi})wrcck  or  in  the  murder  of  part 
of  the  crews,  and  that,  nevertheless,  the  Russians  persevered 
in  the  trade.  Nowadays  the  Aleuts  are  often  to  be  found 
servinsc  as  sailors  on  whalinf?  and  other  vessels  in  the  North 
Pacific.  Until  recently  they  were  looked  upon  as  the  im- 
mjdiatc  subjects  of  the  liussian  American  Fur  Company, 
and  each  male  was  required  to  pass  three  years  in  its  serv- 
ice. The  company  had  several  stations  on  these  islands, 
the  principal  of  which  was  Ounalaska. 

The  Aleutian  Islands,  besides  having  some  commercial 
importance,  yielding,  as  they  still  do,  the  furs  of  amphibious 
animals  to  a  large  amount,  have  many  points  of  interest. 
On  nearly  all  of  them  active  or  passive  volcanoes  exist,  and 
on  one  or  two  geysers  and  hot  springs  have  been  discover- 
ed. There  are  records  of  very  severe  shocks  of  earthquake 
felt  by  the  Russian  traders  and  natives  dwelling  on  them. 
It  is  more  than  probable  that  large  deposits  of  sulphur,  as 
in  Sicily,  may  be  :bund  there.  On  the  following  islands  of 
the  group,  large  v(  Icanic  mountains,  etc.,  exist: 

OuNiMAic.  (See  p.  108.)  The  volciino  of  Chiclialdinskoi  (this  mountain 
emits  smoke) ;  a  second  near  it,  apparently  unnamed  hitherto ;  the  Po- 
grommoi  volcano, 

AKou>f.     One  (smoking)  volcanic  peak;  hot  springs. 

Akoutan.     One  active  volcano.     (See  p.  10!).) 

OiiMNACK.     Vcevidovskoi  and  Toulikskoi  volcanoes;  peysers. 

BoGOSi.ov  Island  (Joan  Rogoslov).     (Seep.  150).+ 

*  Coxc's  "Russian  Discoveries." 

f  "  To  the  northward  of  Oumnack  is  a  long  reef  stretching  for  twenty- 


V(M.CANOErt,  Etc. 


277 


AMoruT.v.     Extinrt  volcanoes. 

Si.doiiAM.     Smoking  iiKiiiiitaiiis  ;   liot  springs,  etc. 

Atkiia.  Several,  atnoiiy  whicli  arc  the  Korovinsku'i  and  Klutclievskoi 
mountains. 

Kanacia.     Srnokitifx  volcano. 

Tana(;a.     Kxiinct  (?j  volcunocs. 

GoKKi.oY.  Volcano  of  the  same  nuuie,  said  to  bo  the  highest  on  the 
chain  of  the  Aleutian  Islands. 

SioMi.soi'ociiNoi.     JSevoral  volcanoes. 

Thu  iiuthorities  for  tlio  above  list  will  be  found  cited  in 
Findlay's  "Directory  for  the  Navigation  of  the  Pacific 
Ocean,"  and  comprise,  among  the  number,  the  works  of 
Krusenstern,  Liiike,  and  Cook. 

six  miles  in  a  nearly  north  (/rw)  direction,  at  the  outer  point  of  which  is 
the  S/ii/>  Rock.     It  was  so  n.-micd  hy  ('ook,  and  is  in  tiic  form  of  a  tower. 

"At  200  fathoms  within  the  Ship  liocl:  is  the  small  Island  of  Joan  I5o- 
Roslov.  It  is  of  volcanic  origin,  and  did  not  appear  till  I79(J,  after  an 
earthquake.  The  length  of  this  small  island,  from  N.W.  hy  N. ,  to  S.  E.  by 
S.,  is  1;^  mile.  Irs  breadth  is  about  the  half  of  its  length.  A  chain  of 
rocks  projects  two  miles  beyond  its  N.W.  extremity,  and  another  a  mile  be- 
yond its  N.E.  point.  According  to  the  observations  of  Captain  Wassilieff. 
the  peak  in  the  centre  of  the  island  is  2210  feet  high.  This  island,  as  be- 
fore stated,  is  connected  with  Oumnack  by  a  reef  of  rocks,  which  doubthiss 
owe  their  origin  to  a  similar  cause;  for,  in  1778,  Cook,  and,  thirty  years 
later,  SarighschefF,  sailed  between  the  Ship  Rock  and  the  Island  of  Oum- 
nack." liaranoft"(flie  founder  of  Sitka)  furnished  Krusenstern  in  1817  with 
some  acc(;^unt  of  this  phenomenon,  which  the  latter  has  recorded  in  his  cele- 
brated "  Memoires  Ilydrographiqucs."  It  is  briefly  as  follows  :  In  1800  the 
peak  just  mentioned  was  first  observed;  and,  on  May  1  in  that  year,  "a  vi- 
olent tempest  from  the  north  occurred,  and,  during  its  force,  a  rumbling 
noise,  and  distant  ex))losions  similar  to  thunder-claps,  were  heard  at  Ouna- 
laska.  At  the  commencement  of  the  third  day  the  tempest  abated,  and 
the  sky  became  clear.  They  then  observed  between  Ounalaska  and  Oum- 
nack, to  the  north  of  the  latter,  a  flame  jutting  out  of  the  sea,  and  soon  after 
smoke,  which  continued  for  ten  consecutive  days.  After  this,  a  white  body, 
of  a  round  form,  was  observed  to  rise  out  of  the  water,  and  increase  rajiidly 
in  size.  At  the  end  of  a  month  the  flame  ceased,  but  the  smoke  increased 
considerably,  and  the  island  kept  on  increasing.  On  June  1,  1814,  they 
sent  a  baidilr  to  examine  it,  but  they  could  scarcely  lan<l,  on  account  of  the 
violent  currents  and  the  pointed  rocks.  The  islajid  was  formed  by  preci- 
pices, covered  with  small  stones,  which  were  being  continually  ejected  from 
the  crater.  In  1815a  second  expedition  found  the  island  very  much  lower 
than  in  the  previous  year,  and  its  appearance  entirely  changed.  The  prec- 
ipices had  fallen,  and  were  continually  crumbling  away." — Findlay's  "Di- 
rectory," etc. 


!t( 


278    Asiatic   OuKiix   of   iiik    Ivsql'i  m  a  i' x. 

Jt  need  not  be  said  that  tbn  Aloiitian  TslaiuLs,  lyiii<^  as 
they  do  so  closely  together,  could  be  very  easily  examined 
by  a  scientilic  traveller  who  should  take  up  his  abode  on 
one  of  them  for  a  year  or  two.  That  they  deserve  such  an 
examination  can  hardly  be  doubted. 


mi     t 
If' 


The  allusions  to  the  Tchuktchis,  to  the  trade  across 
Piehring  Straits,  and  to  the  coast  peoples  of  Northern  Alas- 
ka, scattered  at  intervals  throughout  many  of  the  previous 
chapters,  serve  at  least  to  confirm  the  observations  and  the- 
ories of  many  previous  travellers  and  authors. 

Scientific  men  are  now  agreed  on  the  Asiatic  origin  of 
the  Es(piimaux,  even  of  those  who  have  migrated  as  far  as 
Greenland.*  Of  the  Mongolian  origin  of  the  Tchuktchis 
themselves,  no  one  who  has  seen  individuals  of  that  people 
would  for  a  moment  doubt.  A  Tchuktchi  boy  taken  by 
Col.  Bulklcy  (our  engineer-in-chief)  from  Plover  Bay  to 
San  Francisco,  and  there  educated  and  cared  for  in  the 
family  of  a  kind-hearted  lady,  was,  when  dressed  up  in 
FiUropean  clothes,  constantly  taken  for  a  civilized  Chinaman, 
and  two  of  our  Aleutian  sailors  were  often  similarly  mis- 
taken. This  happened,  it  must  be  observed,  in  a  city  which 
is  full  of  Chinese  and  Japanese.  That  the  Aleuts,  also,  are 
of  an  Eastern  stock,  is  to  my  mind  undoubted. 

The  intertribal  trade  carried  on  so  regularly  every  year 
rid  Behring  Straits  (which  is  likely  now  to  receive  a  decided 
check  from  the  American  traders,  who  will  crowd  into  the 
country)  proved  with  how  little  difficulty  a  colony  of  "  Wan- 
dering Tchuktchis  "  might  cross  from  Asia  and  populate  the 
northern  coasts  of  America.  Open  skin  canoes,  capable  of 
containing  twenty  or  more  persons  with  their  effects,  and 
hoisting  several  masts  and  sails,  are  now  frequently  to  be 

*  See  Markhfim  "  On  the  Greenland  Esquimaux,"  Journal  of  the  Royal 
Gcogruphical  Society,  18G5. 


SKA-(il()TN(l    CaNOKS. 


observed  amonc^  botli  tliu  sen-coast  IVlnikteliis  aii'l  tlu;  in- 
hiibitiints  of  Northern  Alaska.  1  have  seen  others  tliat 
niiglit  be  called  "  full- rigged"  canoes,  carrying  main,  gatl", 
and  sprit-sails,  but  these  were  probably  recent  and  foreign 
innovations.* 

I  may  be  excused  if  I  here  allude  to  two  well-authentica- 
ted and  oft-q,uoted  facts.  In  the  years  1832-3,  two  .remark- 
able and  unintentional  ocean  voyages — one  of  them  termi- 
nating in  shipwreck — were  made  from  Japan  to  tlu;  north- 
west coast  of  Amoricaf  and  to  the  Sandwich  Islands  hyjnnh. 
The  last  mentioned  is  known  to  have  been  ten  or  eleven 


maman, 


*  In  a  recent  number  of  "  Harper's  (New  York)  Ma{,'azine,"  my  friend  Mr. 
Knox,  wlio  accompanied  us  across  tliu  Pacific  in  IHIKJ,  tells  us  that  lie  heard 
(luring  his  stay  in  Silieria  of  a  peculiar  mode  of  eflcctiuf;  marine  insurance, 
which  is  said  to  be  in  vo}:;ue  amoni;  the  Tchuktehis,  and  which,  says  he,  "  I  do 
not  think  will  ever  he  ]K»i»ular  ainouj^  American  sailors."  In  crossiuj^  IJehriug 
Straits,  the  captain  and  owner  of  the  boat — beariujj;  in  mind  the  Dutch  ))rov- 
erb  "zelf  is  do  man" — when  a  storm  arises,  throws  his  crew,  one  by  one, 
overboard,  reservint?  his  poods  to  the  last.  They  allow  themselves  to  be 
drowned  with  a  complacency  unknown  to  Christian  nations.  I  will  not 
vouch  for  the  .story,  nor  would,  I  think,  Mr.  Knox. 

t  See  Washington  Irvine's  "  Astoria  ;"  also  Sir  Edward  Belcher's  "  Voy- 
age of  the  Su/j)hur'"  (quoted  by  Findlay),  wherein  he  says:  "We  received 
from  the  ofliciu-s  of  the  IluJson's  Bay  establishment  several  articles  of  Jap- 
anese china,  which  had  been  washed  ashore  from  a  Japanese  junk  wrecked 
near  Cape  Flattery.  Mr.  Brnio  knew  little  of  the  details  of  the  event ;  but 
in  the  Ajipcndix  to  Washington  Irving's  '  Kocky  Mountains,'  vol.  i.  p.  240, 
is  the  following  account  of  it,  in  a  letter  from  Captain  Wyeth :  '  In  tiie  win- 
ter of  1833  a  Japanese  junk  was  wrecked  on  the  N.W.  coast,  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Queen  Charlotte's  Island,  and  all  but  two  of  her  crew,  then  much 
reduced  by  starvation  nnd  disease,  during  a  long  drift  across  the  Tacific, 
were  killed  by  the  natives.  The  two  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company,  and  were  sent  to  England.  I  saw  them  on  my  arrival  at  Van- 
couver in  1834.'  Mr.  Birnie  states  that  it  was  at  Caj)e  Flattery,  and  not  as 
above ;  and  on  thir*  point  his  local  knowledge  makes  liiui  the  best  judge. 
'There  were,' he  says,  'two  men  and  a  boy  jjurchascd  from  the  natives. 
As  soon  as  it  was  known  that  some  shipwrecked  jjeople  were  enslaved  among 
the  natives,  vhe  Hudson's  Bay  Comi)any  sent  their  vessel  "Lana,"  Captain 
M'Neil,  to  obtain  them  by  barter,  and  there  was  some  trouble  in  redeeming 
the  boy.  They  were  subsequently  sent  to  England,  and  then  home,  but  their 
oountrymon  refused  to  receive  them.'  Further  my  informant  could  not  ac- 
quaint mc." 


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280 


Voyaged  of  Junks. 


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months  at  sea,  and  had  nine  Japanese  on  board,  who  never- 
theless arrived  safely,  anchoring  in  the  harbor  of  Waialea, 
Oahu.  The  Sandwich  Islanders  (Hawaiians,  or,  as  they  are 
called  in  California,  etc.,  "  Kanakas"),  when  they  saw  these 
strangers  much  resembling  themselves  in  many  respects, 
said,  "It  is  plain,  now,  we  come  from  Asia."  IIow  easily, 
then,  could  v/c  account  for  the  population  of  almost  any  isl- 
and or  coast  in  the  Pacific. 

Such  facts  as  these — the  passage  of  comparatively  frail 
vessels,  blown  away  from  their  native  coasts  by  typhoons  or 
other  usually  violent  gales,  buffeted  about  for  lengthened 
periods,  yet  eventually  reaching  foreign  coasts  thousands  of 
miles  from  their  own — should,  I  think,  make  us  very  cau- 
tious in  our  ideas  on  the  limitation  of  native  migrations. 

At  what  time,  or  by  what  route,  the  adventurous,  discon- 
tented, or  rebellious  Tchuktchis,  Onkilon,  or  Tunguse  first 
wandered,  sledged,  or  paddled  on  his  way  to  Greenland,  it 
behooves  not  me  to  say.  The  subject  has  already  engaged 
the  consideration  of  able  and  travelled  writers,  and  no  one 
has  more  clearly  treated  the  subject  than  Mr.  Markham 
("  Journal  of  the  Royal  Geographical  Society,"  1865).  Uo 
has  shown  us  that  the  native  migrations  which  have  peo- 
pled the  coasts  of  northernmost  America  and  Greenland 
commenced  at  th  ^  period  when  Togrul  Bey,  Zengis  Khan, 
and  other  chiefs  of  less  celebrity  troubled  Asia  with  their 
lust  for  conquest.  "  Year  after  year  the  intruding  Tartars 
continued  to  press  on.  Sheibani  Khan,  a  grandson  of  the 
mighty  Zengis,  led  15,000  fixrailies  into  these  northern  wilds, 
and  their  descendants,  the  lakhuts  (?  Yakutz)  pressed  on 
still  farther  north,  until  they  are  now  found  at  the  mouths 
of  rivers  falling  into  the  Polar  Ocean."  Neither  were  they 
the  first  inhabitants  of  the  country  along  the  banks  of  the 
Kolyma  or  Anadyr.  Other  and  older  people,  who  havo 
now  disappeared,  have  left  their  traces  (ruined  yours^  etc.) 


TCIIUKTCIIIS    AND    ESQUIMAUX, 


281 


in  the  whole  of  that  country  as  far  north  as  Behring  Straits 
and  Cape  Chelagskoi.* 

Mr.  Mai'khani  believes,  in  common  with  a  large  number 
of  our  best  Arctic  authorities,f  in  the  existence  of  land 
round  or  near  the  Pole,  and  which  may  nearl}'-  connect  Si- 
beria with  Greenland,  and  sees  in  that  land  the  route  prob- 
ably taken  by  the  adventurous  wanderers.  Between  the 
traces  of  former  life  found  at  Cape  Chelagskoi,  and  those 
observed  on  the  Parry  Islands,  a  gap  of  11-iO  mils  indeed 
intervenes,  in  which  no  such  have  been  observed  ;  but  this 
is,  in  all  probability,  simply  owing  to  our  ignorance  of  those 
latitudes. 

The  Greenlanders  may  indeed  have  taken  such  a  route, 
but  the  natives  of  Northern  Alaska  doubtless  crossed  by  the 
"direct  short-sea"  passage,  rza  Behring  Straits. 

In  comparing  notes  with  my  brother,  who  was  pursuing 
his  researches  in  Greenland  during  a  part  of  the  time  that  I 
was  in  Alaska,  etc.,  we  have  noticed  many  points  of  simi- 
larity between  the  Esquimaux  on  the  one  hand,  and  the 
Malemutes  or  Tchuktchis  on  the  other.  Some  resemblances 
are,  of  course,  simply  on  the  surface,  are  obvious  at  first 
sight,  and  have  been  discussed  before.  Their  food,  Qpstume, 
houses,  implements,  and  weapons  are  closely  allied  in  char- 
acter, and  the  resemblances  could  well  enough  arise  from 
identity  of  wants,  and  from  the  similar  nature  of  tue  coun- 
tries they  inhabit.  Were  we  to  transplant  a  colony  of 
Europeans  to  such  countries,  and  shut  them  off  from  foreign 
and  outside  supplies,  in  a  generation  or  two  they  would  be 
living  much  as  these  natives  do.  These  superficial  points 
can  never,  therefore,  prove  much.     Many  of  our  older  Arc- 

♦  Von  Wrangoll  (Mrs.  Sabine's  translation),  p.  372,  See  also  p.  113  of 
this  work. 

t  See  Captain  Sherard  Osborn's  I'ajjcr  in  the  "  Proceedings"  of  the  Royal 
Geographical  Society,  May  7,  1868. 


'I   I 


M\ 


282 


TCIIUKTCIIIS    AND    ESQUIMAUX. 


tic  explorers,  and  our  more  recent  telegraph  explorers,  have 
been  in  those  countries  more  or  less  clothed,  fed,  and  housed 
in  native  fashion. 

It  is  rather  to  physical  characteristics — languages  (genu- 
ine, and  not  imported),  customs,  and  tribal  practices — that 
we  must  look  for  information.  The  Tehuktchi  language 
is  said  to  have  a  great  resemblance  to  that  of  the  Greenland 
Esquimaux.  On  this  point  I  will  say  nothing,  as  my  visits 
to  the  Siberian  coast  were  hurried,  and  of  short  duration, 
while  the  subject  has  been  already  discussed  by  those  who 
are  excellent  authorities.*  But  I  would  call  the  attention 
of  those  interested  in  this  matter  to  the  very  close  similarity 
of  some  of  the  words  in  my  Malemute  (Northern  Alaska) 
vocabulary,  to  be  found  in  the  Appendix,  with  those  in  the 
best  Esquimaux  vocabularies  which  we  possess.f     Thus : 

Malemute.  Greenland  Esquimaux. 

I Wounga U-anga. 

He Oona Una. 

We Wurgut U-agut. 

You Itlepit Iblet.     Illipse. 

Man Inuct Angut.     Innuit. 

Woman Achanuk Arnak. 

Day Oblook Utiok. 

Sun  ..•» Sickunyuk Sekkinek. 

Water Imuk Imek  (salt  water,  Imak). 

Snow Kanik Kannik. 

Ice Scko Sikko. 

Head Neakuk Niakjk. 

Face Keenyuk Kcnak. 

Mouth Kanuk Kannek. 

Teeth Keentik..,.. Kigutit. 

Wood Kushuk Kessuk. 

Canoe Omcuk-pnk Oomiak. 

*  Billings  (quoted  by  Wrangell,  r  372,  Mrs.  Sabine's  translation),  also 
Wrangoll  elsewhere;  Hooper's  "Tents  of  the  Tuski ;"  Markham  ("Journal 
(if  the  Royal  Geographical  Society"  for  1805);  Balbi's  "Atlas  Ethnograph- 
i(jue,"  and  Klaproth's  "  Sprach  Atlas,"  quoted  in  Washington's  "Esquimaux 
Vocabulary,  etc.,  for  the  use  of  the  Arctic  Expeditions." 

f  My  brother  reminds  me  that  the  Greenland  Esquimaux  vocabularies 


Degenekation   or  Gkeenlandeks.      283 


And  so  on.  I  am  fully  aware  that  attention  has  been  call- 
ed to  this  point  before,  but  a  sjmckd  vocabulary  ol"  Maleniute 
(Norton  Sound)  words  has  never  been  before  published,  al- 
liiough  we  have  those  of  neighboring  dialects — that  of 
Kotzebue  Sound,  etc. 

That  the  Greenland  EsquimaiTX  has  somewhat  degener- 
ated, in  both  physical  and  mental  characteristics,  1  can  well 
believe.  The  average  height  of  the  Greenlander  of  to-day 
is  under  the  European  standard,  while  many  individuals,  at 
least  of  the  Tchuktchis,  arc  over  it.  This  point  is  of  itself 
of  no  importance  whatever.  Greenland,  may  be,  is  not  a 
worse  country  than  Northern  Siberia ;  but  who  knows  what 
these  races  endured  on  their  way  thither,  especially  if  they 
went  by  Mr.  Markham's  North  Polar  route  ;  and  how  far  less 
food  and  intenser  cold  than  they  were  accustomed  to,  with 
untold  hardships  superadded,  m;iy  have  stunted  and  dwarfed 
them?  I  am  told  that  they  are  excessively  simple  and 
child-like,  that  they  live  in  much  harmony,  quarrel  rarely, 
and  have  many  other  good  features:  and  the  reader  has 
only  to  turn  to  Hooper's  "Tents  of  the  Tuski"  to  find  the 
same  thing  stated  with  regard  to  the  Tchuktchis,  and  some 
of  my  previous  pages  to  find  similar  statements  with  re- 
gard to  the  Alaskan  peoples. 

My  brother  says  much  of  the  community  of  goods  enjoy- 
ed among  them,  how  the  industrious  hunter  supplies  the 
whole  village  crowd,  as  a  matter  of  course,  taking  and  get- 
ting no  credit  for  it ;  and  how  the  more  he  gets,  the  worse 
he  is  off.  This,  which  is  more  or  less  a  feature  of  all  the 
coast  tribes  in  the  North  Pacific,  is  especially  true  in  North- 
ern Alaska,  on  the  Yukon,  and  in  Norton  Sound,  where  the 
chiefs,  who  are  invariably  good  hunters  or  fishermen,  often 
attain  and  keep  their  position  by  periodical  distributions  of 

were  often  acquired  through  Danish  media,  and  that  they  have,  therefore, 
been  written  in  English  with  a  foreign  accent. 


m-i 


Modes  of  Bukial, 


jti  h.  I  1. 


their  effects.  They  are  themselves  often  the  worst  clothed 
and  worst  fed  members  of  their  own  villages.  Generosity 
is  among  them  the  rule,  and  not  the  exception.  No  man, 
woman,  or  child  among  them  goes  unfed,  unhoused,  or  un- 
warmed,  if  there  is  food,  dwelling,  or  fire  in  the  settle- 
ment. 

The  "  Schaman "  (pronounced  exactly  like  our  word 
"showman,"  a  very  appropriate  title!),  the  conjuror-priest, 
the  "  medicine-man  "  of  the  Tchuktchis  (and  also  of  the 
North  Alaskan  peoples,  who  use  the  same  term),  was,  and 
apparently  still  is,  represented  in  Greenland  by  the  "  An- 
gekok,"  who  held  similar  powers,  and  was  reverenced  or 
feared  accordingly.  My  brother  says  "  the  Danish  pastors 
and  missionaries  believe  that  the  Angekok  is  extinct. 
Publicly  he  appears  to  be  so,  but  the  natives  are  known  to 
hold  secret  meetings,  about  which,  strange  to  say,  none  of 
the  Danes  were  able  to  learn  details,  and  at  these  it  is  be- 
lieved Angekokism  is  still  practiced."  Their  profession,  be- 
sides including  medicine  and  exorcism,  made  a  prominent 
feature  of  rain  and  wind  making. 

In  Greenland,  the  former  Esquimaux  practice  of  burying 
the  dead  under  a  pile  of  stones  has  been  abandoned,  and 
they  have  adopted  Danish  customs.  At  the  Anadyr  Riv- 
er I  saw  Tchuktchi  graves  which  were  covered  by  piles 
of  reindeer  horns.  The  "  four-post "  coffins,  described  in 
connection  with  the  Northern  Alaskan  peoples,  and  which 
are  probably  a  later  inspiration,  have  been  perhaps  adopted 
for  this  reason :  stones  are  less  common — at  least  in  Norton 
Sound,  Port  Clarence,  and  on  the  Yukon — than  soil,  while 
the  latter  is  frozen  at  a  few  inches  beneath  the  surface  at  all 
seasons.  Hence  the  real  difficulty  of  making  a  grave — 
superadded  to  their  natural  indolence — has  caused  a  new 
form  of  sepulture  to  be  adopted. 

That  some  future  North  Polar  Expedition  will  clear  up 


Future  Developments. 


28 


o 


every  mystery  hanging  over  the  route  taken  by  these  wan- 
derers from  one  desolate  elime  to  another,  I,  for  one,  can  not 
jail  to  believe,  but  the  question  has  more  of  interest  about 
it  than  of  importance. 


11^ 


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Ik: 


I. 


i 


I'i" 


iij 


280 


Explorations  in  Asia. 


CnAPTEK  XXIII. 

W.  U.  TELEGRAPH  EXPLORATIONS  IN  ASIA. 

Major  Abasa  appointed  Cliicf. — Arrival  in  Pctropaulovski. — Travels  in  Kam- 
chatka.—  Ghije}:5a.  —  The  Town,  eic. — lioiite  between  Ghijega  an-t 
Ocliotsk. —  The  Explorations  of  Mahood  and  Bush. —  Nicolaiefski, 
Mouth  of  the  Amoor. — Travel  to  Ochotsk. — Reindeer-riding. — Tiic 
Tun^usc. — Ayan. — Ochotsk. — M'Crea  and  Arnold's  Wanderings  among 
the  Tchuktchis. — Anadyrsk. 

The  explorers  of  our  W.  U.  Telegrapli  service  made 
many  important  and  interesting  journeys  in  Asia,  which 
certainl}  deserve  to  be  recorded.  I  can  not  pretend  to  nar- 
rate their  experiences  fully.  The  following  brief  account 
of  their  travels  may,  however,  be  depended  upon }  it  has 
been  derived  directly  from  themselves,  with  some  additions 
from  the  published  articles  of  my  friend  Mr.  Knox,  of  New 
York,  who,  it  will  be  remembered,  accompanied  us  in  1866. 

In  1865,  Major  Abasa,  a  very  cultivated  and  energetic 
Eussian  gentleman,  who  had  travelled  much,  especially  in 
the  United  States,  was  appointed  chief  of  the  Asiatic  ex- 
plorations proposed  to  be  made  by  our  company.  On  the 
8th  August  of  the  same  3''ear,  that  gentleman,  in  company 
with  Messrs.  Kennon,  Mahood  and  Bush,  arrived  at  Petro- 
paulovski  on  the  brig  "  Ochotsk,"  from  San  Francisco,  our 
head-quarters.  The  two  latter  explorers  were  immediateh 
dispatched  by  sea  to  the  Amoor  Hiver,  while  the  major, 
Mr.  Kennon,  and  a  third  employe  of  the  expedition,  made 
their  preparations  for  an  early  start — their  destination  being 
Ghijega  (Ghijinsk  on  old  maps),  at  the  head  of  the  Ochotsk 
Sea.    This  they  propbsed  to  reach  by  land,  via  Kamchatka. 


ill 


Travels  in   Kamchatka. 


287 


Major  Abasa  and  his  companions  IcTtPotropaulovski  on 
the  25th  of  August — a  moiitli  which  in  KanichutUa  is  often 
extremely  warm,  and  when  there  is  no  snow  wiiatover  on 
the  lowlands.  They  lollowed  the  eastern  shore  of  the  pen- 
insula till,  at  the  village  of  Sharon,  they  reached  the  Kam- 
chatka liiver — a  tortuous  stream  of  no  great  size,  which  lias 
been  already  mentioned  in  connection  with  the  narrative 
of  Behring's  life.  Their  route  so  far  was  principally  over 
undulating  plains,  covered  by  much  most,  grass,  and  under- 
brush, but  with  a  limited  amount  of  poorly-grown  timber. 
It  is  one  of  the  peculiarities  of  Kamchatka  that  the  forests 
get  thicker  and  the  trees  huger  the  further  north  you  pro- 
ceed. It  is.  moreover,  constantly  stated,  and  apparently  be- 
lieved also  by  the  foreign  residents  in  the  country,  that  the 
soil  is  warmed  by  the  volcanic  fires  beneath,  and  that  the 
cultivation  of  grain  in  the  brief  summer  is  thereby  rendered 
impracticable,  as  if.  sprouts  before  its  time.  It  is  known 
that  in  winter  the  snow  in  places  sometimes  melts  where  it 
is  in  contact  with  the  earth,  while  a  foot  or  so  above  it 
there  is  the  usual  wintry  covering.  This  snow,  undermined, 
as  it  were,  frequently  tumbles  in  when  travellers  are  pass- 
ing over  it, and  they  "find  their  level"  a  little  lower  than 
they  expected. 

After  following  for  a  short  distance  the  Kamchatka  Riv- 
er, Ihe  party  turned  westward,  to  cross  a  much  more  rugged 
country,  in  order  to  reach  the  village  of  Tigil,  on  the  coast 
of  the  Ocho'sk  Sea.  Here  they  met  with  many  difiiculties. 
The  route  was  an  alternation  of  rocks  and  swamps,  with 
much  rotten  snow  overlying  them,  and  even  the  sure-footed 
little  Siberian  pack-horses, which  were  well  loaded  with  the 
personal  efiects,  etc.,  of  the  party,  were  constantly  in  trouble. 
Now  they  were  stuck  in  sloughs  of  unknown  depth,  now 
they  were  half  carried  away  b}'-  the  swift  mountain-streams 
they  were  attempting  to  ford,  and  now  and  again  they  came 


288 


rv 


Tit.vvKLs  IN'  Kamchatka 


K 


m 


,  jj^ 


ar 


m-. 


down  on  tlicir  knees  or  haunches  wlien  atkMiipting  to  clam- 
ber over  the  shppery  rocks.  But  at  length  they  reached 
Tigii,  which,  by  the  route  they  had  travelled,  was  1200 
versts  (yOO  miles). 

From  Tigil,  Major  Abasa  wrote  to  the  "  Ispravnik " 
(Civil  Governor)  ol"  Ghijega,  notifying  him  that  he  was  on 
the  way,  and  asking  him  to  issue  orders  to  the  inhabitants 
under  his  jurisdiction  to  render  every  assistance.  The  let- 
ter was  sent  to  Sessnoi,  the  last  Kamchatdale  village  on  the 
route,  and  from  there  passed  from  one  tribe  of  Koriaks  to  an- 
other, until  it  reached  its  destination.  Abasa  had  taken  the 
precaution  to  send  on  word  that  he  would  "  remember  "  any 
natives  who  had  facilitated  the  delivery  of  his  message,  and 
the  letter  therefore  reached  Ghijega  very  quickly.  The 
Ispravnik  immediately  issued  the  necessary  orders. 

From  Tigil  to  Sessnoi  the  party  travelled  by  or  near  the 
sea-coast,  and  reached  the  latter  place  successfully.  North 
of  Sessnoi  the  route  was  known  to  be  extremely  diflicult; 
they  therefore  divided  their  forces,  the  major  and  one  of  his 
men  (with  natives)  proceeding  in  a  whale-boat  and  skin 
canoe  by  sea,  while  Kennon  attempted  to  take  the  pack- 
train,  etc.,  across  the  mountainous  coast.  They,  however, 
were  unfortunate  at  this  part  of  the  trip  ;  the  party  on  the 
sea  experienced  bad  weather,  while  Kennon  found  the  late- 
ly-flUlen  snow  too  soft  and  deep  for  his  horses.  They  there- 
fore returned  to  Sessnoi,  to  wait  till  the  season  became  a 
little  more  advanced,  and  employed  their  time  in  purchasing 
dogs  from  the  natives,  and  in  the  manufacture  of  sledges, 
etc.  They  found  great  difficulty  in  inducing  the  Kam- 
chatdales  to  part  with  their  dogs.  A  sum  of  200  silver 
roubles  (over  £30)  for  a  team  of  ten  dogs  was  often  refused. 

While  in  Sessnoi,  Major  Abasa  had  some  very  interest- 
ing interviews  with  chiefs  of  the  Koriak  and  Tchuktchi 
tribes.     It  was  the  period  of  their  annual  migration  south- 


SE8SN0I. 


289 


ward,  whbn  they  go  to  bunt  tlic  siiblu  on  the  plains  and  in 
the  mountains  of  Kamchatka.  In  January  they  gather 
around  Tigil,  to  exchange  their  furs  for  tea,  sugar,  eolVee, 
powder,  lead,  etc.  Bad  weather  detained  the  i)arty  in  Sess- 
noi,  and,  by  a  judicious  distribution  of  presents,  they  suc- 
ceeded in  making  them  communicative.  They  advised  the 
major,  in  proceeding  from  Sessnoi,  not  to  follow  the  sea-coast, 
but  to  incline  to  the  eastward  and  pass  through  a  country 
comparatively  little  known  to  the  whites.  Every  thing  being 
ready,  the  party  left  Sessnoi  on  the  2()th  of  October,  passing 
over  the  mountains,  and  finding  a  very  bad  road.  Four 
days  later  they  reached  Bodkaguernaya,  having  found  the 
temperature  at  night  from  forty  to  forty-five  degrees  below 
zero.  North  of  Bodkaguernaya  the  mountains  gradually 
diminished,  and  the  country  was  found  to  be  cut  up  into 
plains  covered  with  moss,  and  ridges  on  which  there  was  a 
growth  of  low  bushes  that  sometimes  attained  to  the  dignity 
of  small  trees.  Viewed  from  an  elevation,  the  whole  region 
had  a  very  desolate  appearance.  The  country  was  found 
to  be  inhabited  by  the  Koriaks,  some  of  the  tribes  wander- 
ing from  place  to  place,  and  the  others  remaining  in  fixed 
localities.  The  wandering  Koriaks  were  kind,  hospitable, 
and  peaceable,  but  the  settled  Koriaks  were  the  reverse.  A 
stronger  and  more  efficacious  representation  of  the  Russian 
Government  was  needed  among  them.  The  Koriak  coun- 
try and  the  Ghijega  and  Anadyr  districts  are  all  supposed  to 
be  under  the  direction  of  the  Ispravnik  at  Ghijega,  who  has 
only  twenty-five  Cossacks  under  him,  and  neither  time  noi" 
ability  to  visit  a  hundredth  part  of  his  immense  territory. 

Major  Abasa  exchanged  his  dogs  for  reindeer  at  the 
first  Koriak  camp,  a  hundred  versts  from  Bodkaguernaya, 
and  travelled  with  the  latter  animals  to  Kammenoi,  where 
the  party  arrived  on  the  16th  of  November.  The  major 
wished  to  go  to  Anadyrsk  from  this  place,  but  the  natives 

T 


290 


Ghijeoa. 


i-ii;ii 


i  ! 


refused  to  tjike  him  there;  they  were  willing  to  go  to 
Ghijcgfv,  and  in  fact  had  received  orders  from  the  ispravnik 
to  go  there  if  the  party  desired  it.  The  Kussian  traders 
were  at  Kammenoi,  on  their  way  to  the  coast  of  Behring 
S(!a,  and  the  Koriaks  were  anxious  to  accompany  them, 
hut  W{*re  ordered  not  to  do  so  until  after  Major  Abasa  had 
proceeded  on  his  way.  They  at  length,  after  a  harassing 
journey,  reached  Ghijcga  on  the  22d  of  November,  where 
the  major  established  permanent  quarters,  lie  had  tlius 
traversed  the  whole  peninsula  of  Kamchatka. 

This  insignificant  village  of  two  or  three  hundred  people 
has  a  little  more  importance  than  its  size  would  lead  us  to 
believe.  It  is,  first,  the  seat  of  local  government;  it  is, 
next,  a  centre  with  regard  to  the  fur-trade  of  the  district ; 
and  it  is,  lastly,  the  only  place  for  several  hundred  miles 
round,  where  the  poor  Russian  settler,  or  semi-civilized 
Kamchatdale,  can  get  any  tea,  sugar,  or  vodka  (whisky). 
As  vodka  is  occasionally  to  be  got  there,  it  need  not  be 
stated  that  a  venerable  "  pope "  (priest)  of  the  Greek 
Church  stops  there  permanently. 

Ghijega  is  situated  on  the  river  of  the  same  name,  about 
eight  miles  from  the  coast  of  Ghijinsk  Gulf,  an  arm  of  the 
Ochotsk  Sea.  Mr.  Knox  does  not  describe  it  as  a  terres- 
trial paradise.  Speaking  of  his  visit  in  the  summer  of 
1866,  he  says,  "The  flat  plains  or  tundras  were  covered 
with  water  in  many  concealed  and  unconcealed  holes. 
Every  little  bunch  of  moss  was  like  a  well-filled  sponge. 
I  returned  from  a  pedestrian  excursion  with  my  top-boots 
as  thoroughly  soaked  as  if  they  had  been  used  for  water- 
buckets.  There  was  not  a  wheeled  vehicle  of  any  kind, 
and  there  were  but  three  horses  for  fifty  miles.  There  was 
no  steam-boat  on  the  river,  and  balloons  had  not  been  in- 
troduced." 

Major  Abasa,  having  dispatched  Kennon  and  Dodd  to 


GllI.IKliA     TO    OCIIOTSK. 


291 


Anadyrsk,  to  meet  and  co-operate  with  M'Crea,  turned 
his  attention  to  the  but-little-known  country  lying  between 
Ghijega  and  the  town  of  Oehotsk.  In  winter  the  inter- 
course between  Ghijega  and  Oehotsk  is  (juite  limited.  The 
yearly  mails,  and  a  dozen  sledges  with  goods  lor  a  few 
Russian  traders,  are  the  only  passengers  over  this  distance, 
and  there  is,  consequently,  no  regular  road — travellers  fol- 
lowing no  track,  but  going  in  certain  directions,  guided  by 
the  position  of  the  mountain-streams  and  forests.  Some- 
times snow-storms  and  fogs  conceal  the  signs  which  guide 
the  traveller,  and  force  him  to  remain  stationary  for  days, 
and  even  for  weeks  at  a  time.  No  means  have  been  taken 
by  the  inhabitants  to  make  the  road  practicable.  They 
themselves  know  very  little  of  the  country  within  forty 
or  fifty  miles  of  their  homes.  The  settled  population  of 
the  few  villages  along  the  coast  consists  of  a  mixture  of 
Russians,  Koriaks,  and  Yakutz.  There  is  a  floating  pop- 
ulation, known  as  Tunguse,  who  wander  through  the 
mountain  and  forest  regions  from  Kolyma  nearly  down  to 
the  Amoor.  These  tribes  rarely  use  sledges,  but  perform 
their  migration  on  the  backs  of  reindeer,  of  which  they 
have  not  a  very  large  number,  barely  sufficient  for  their 
necessities.  The  Koriaks  are  much  more  wealthy,  some 
of  them  owning  from  one  to  two  thousand  deer. 

The  Tunguse  have  therefore  been  unwilling  to  let  the 
Russians  know  the  best  routes  through  the  country,  and 
have  maintained  secret  paths  of  their  own.  Major  Abasfi 
did  not  find  them  badly  disposed  toward  the  telegraph  en- 
terprise, but  fearful  that  it  might  impair  the  value  of  theii- 
hunting-grounds.  He  succeeded  in  establishing  friendly 
relations  with  them,  and  convinced  them  that  the  damage 
in  that  respect  would  be  more  than  made  good  by  the  sup- 
plies they  would  be  enabled  to  obtain  by  the  establishment 
of  the  company's  forts  among  them.     Their  indolence  and 


\ij  !  ? 

'-  1  ^ 


i,! 


fi!': 


it; 


,fe,  i: 


i 


I 


292 


Arrival  of  Maiiood  and  Busu, 


S  ( 


carelessness  operated  only  in  a  negative  manner,  in  pre- 
venting tbem  from  being  actively  useful  in  building  the 
line. 

On  the  22a  of  February  (1866),  Mahood  and  Bush,  who 
it  will  be  remembered  had  been  dispatched  to  the  Amoor 
River,  arrived  in  Ocliotsk  from  Nicolaiefski.*  The  com- 
mander of  the  sea -coast  provinces  of  Eastern  Siberia, 
(Governor  Fulyhelm)  had  given  them  ail  the  assistance  in 
his  power,  but  the  route  from  the  Amoor  northward  had 
been  one  of  the  most  rugged  character.  Captain  Mahood, 
moreover,  struck  out  a  new  and  more  direct  line  for  him- 
self than  that  usually  followed  by  the  Eussians,  having  in 
view  the  requirements  of  the  telegraph  service. 

Governor  Fulyhelm  sent  to  the  Tunguse,  a  hundred 
versts  to  the  northward,  ordering  them  to  procure  reindeei* 
for  Ca))tain  Mohood's  exp  dition.  Those  were  to  be  for- 
warded to  Orelle  Lake,  north  of  the  Amoor,  and  to  this 
point  the  party  proceeded  when  all  preparations  were  com- 
pleted. There  they  found  the  Tunguse,  who  were  await- 
ing them  with  twenty  deer.     After  a  little  delay  in  arrang 

*  Nicolaiefski,  a  town  of  very  modem  growth,  is  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Amoor,  a  river  with  which,  thanks  to  the  published  travels  of  Atkinson  and 
others,  wc  are  somewhat  familiar.  "It  is,"  says  Mr.  Knox,  "emphatically 
a  government  town,  three-fourths  of  the  inhabitants  being  directly  or  in- 
directly in  the  service  of  the  Emperor.  It  has  a  '  port,'  or  naval  establish- 
ment, containing  dock-yards,  machine-shops,  founderies,  and  all  the  odds 
and  ends  of  sheds,  warehouses,  and  factories  necessary  to  the  functions  of  a 
naval  station."  "  All  the  houses  in  the  town  are  of  wood,  ....  the  great 
majority  are  of  logs,  either  rough  or  hewn."  "  Going  back  from  the  river, 
the  streets  begin  grandly,  and  promise  a  great  deal  that  they  do  not  per- 
form. For  one  or  two  squares  they  are  all  good,  the  third  square  is  passa- 
ble, the  fourth  is  full  of  stumps,  and  when  you  reach  the  fifth  and  sixth, 
there  is  little  street  to  be  found.  I  never  saw  a  better  illustration  of  the 
road  that  commenced  with  a  double  row  of  shade-trees  (k  la  boulevard),  and 
steadily  diminished  in  character  until  it  became  a  squirrel-track  and  ran  uj) 
a  tree." — Harper^s  Magazine  (New  York),  August,  1868. 

There  are  now  a  large  number  of  steamers  on  the  Amoor.  The  season 
when  the  river  is  open  is  limited  to  about  half  the  year. 


Rein  DEER- Biding. 


29t^ 


'he  season 


ing  the  loads,  the  expedition  started ;  each  of  the  men 
riding  a  deer,  while  twelv^  of  the  animals  were  required  to 
carry  the  baggage  and  j  .ovisions.  The  saddle  for  a  rein- 
deer is  placed  on  the  animal's  withers,  the  back  not  being 
strong  enough  to  sustain  the  weight  of  a  man.  The  saddle 
is  a  mere  pad,  and  has  no  stirrups,  so  that  it  requires  con- 
stant care  to  retain  one's  balance — a  novice  in  this  kind 
of  travelling  being  sure  to  get  many  tumbles  before  he 
learns  to  manage  his  new  beast  of  burden.  The  deer  is 
guided  by  a  halter  and  a  single  line.  One  is  required  to 
exercise  considerable  dexterity  to  mount  a  reindeer  with- 
out the  assistance  of  stirrups.  A  staff  is  always  used  to 
assist  one  in  mountmg.  The  pack-saddle  is  placed  on  the 
shoulders  of  the  animal,  and  the  reindeer  will  carry  a  load 
of  from  seventy-five  to  one  hundred  pounds  in  this  way. 
A  Tunguse  rides  one  deer,  and  leads  a  pack-train  of  four  to 
a  dozen  animals,  the  halter  of  each  deer  being  fastened  to 
the  one  that  precedes  him. 

Between  the  Amoor  and  the  Ochotsk  there  is  not,  nor 
has  there  ever  been,  any  kind  of  a  road ;  but  the  guides 
and  travellers  follow  whatever  route  they  think  proper, 
always  keeping  their  general  course  in  view.  The  rein- 
deer go  through  the  forest,  over  hills  and  along  wide 
stretches  of  barren  land.  The  rivers  are  forded  where 
shallow,  and  when  too  deep  for  this,  rafts  are  built  for  men 
and  baggage,  while  the  deer  are  forced  to  swim  over.  In 
winter  the  ice  affords  a  secure  foothold,  and,  for  this  reason, 
travelling  is  much  better  in  the  cold  season  than  in  sum- 
mer. Reindeer  food  grows  on  most  parts  of  the  route  ;  so 
that,  in  summer  or  winter,  it  is  only  necessary  to  turn  them 
out  at  night,  and  they  will  be  found  well  fed  in  the  morn- 
ing. 

Captain  Mahood's  journal  makes  frequent  mention  of 
crossing  rivers,  climbing  over  mountains,  and  traversing 


Ilil, 


IK 
If 


?ti 


■'S>; 


i  4  i  .. , 
IK  i.: 


;l     'i 


H 


i    1 


ill 


294 


M'CUEA    AND   AkNOLD's 


forests  and  tundra,  or  long  stretches  of  barren  land.  Several 
times  he  was  delayed  by  being  unable  to  procure  a  sulli- 
cient  uuinber  of  deer  for  his  purposes,  some  having  "  given 
out,"  and  the  term  for  which  others  were  employed  h.iving 
expired.  Sometimes  guides  were  lacking,  and  it  was  nec- 
essary to  send  a  considerable  distance  to  obtain  them. 

At  Ayan  it  was  found  that  the  Kussian  American  Com« 
pany,  which  formerly  maintained  a  post  there,  had  de{)art- 
ed,  having  given  up  all  business  on  this  coast.  The  agent 
of  the  company  still  remained,  with  a  single  clerk,  both  of 
whom,  with  the  ofticials,  were  ready  to  lend  all  assistance. 
The  former  sent  at  once  to  the  "  sartost "  of  Nelkan,  order- 
ing him  to  have  deer  and  men  ready  to  assist  the  party  on 
its  way  to  Ochotsk,  where  they  at  length  arrived,  as  above 
stated. 

Ochotsk  is  a  place  of  which  the  glory  has  somewhat  de- 
parted, owing  principally  to  the  establishment  of  the  n<)wer 
town  of  Nicolaiefski.  It  is  said  to  have  about  500  inhab- 
itants— if  you  count  the  dogs,  who  outnumber  the  human 
part  of  the  population.  Its  most  interesting  associationft 
are  those  connected  with  the  narrative  of  Behring's  voy- 


ages. 


The  third  and  last  journey  undertaken  in  our  service 
which  I  am  enabled  to  record,  is  that  made  in  1865-6,  by 
Messrs.  M'Crea  and  Arnold,  from  the  mouth  of  the  Anadyr 
River  to  Anadyrsk  and  Ghijega.  Some  brief  mention  has 
been  already  made  of  the  camp  established  at  the  Anadyr 
by  the  former  gentleman. 

After  M'Crea  and  his  party  had  erected  temporary 
quarters  at  the  mouth  of  the  Anadyr,  they  began  imme- 
diately to  prepare  for  their  exploration.  About  the  1st  of 
N^ovember  there  was  sufficient  snow  for  sledging.  Captain 
M'Crea  hoped  to  set  out  soon  after,  and  attempted  to  pur- 
chase reindeer  for  thrt  purpose.     The  Tchuktchis  have  a 


WaNDEUINGS    among    Till'.    TcillJKTl'll  IS.     2'.)i"J 


superstition  about  selling  live  reindeer,  though  they  have 
no  hesitation  about  killing  them  and  selling  their  careasses. 
Captain  M'Crea  was  at  lirst  unable  to  purehase  d(!er,  but 
finally  negotiated  with  one  of  the  native  chiefs  for  trans- 
portation to  Anadyrsk  by  way  of  the  Tchuktehi  vjllages 
south  of  Anadyr  Bay.  After  some  delay,  this  [)ersonage 
took  Captain  M'Crea  and  Lieutenant  Arnold  to  the  great 
Deer  Chief,  who  invited  these  gentlemen  to  join  the 
Tchuktehis  in  a  winter  excursion  to  Anadyrsk.  As  there 
was  no  other  way  to  make  the  journey,  they  accepted  the 
proposition,  and,  after  some  delay,  moved  away.  The 
progress  was  slow — about  eight  miles  a  day — the  Tchuk- 
tehis having  no  particular  appreciation  of  time,  and  not  un- 
derstanding how  any  one  can  ever  be  in  a  hurry.  The 
journey  occupied  forty-two  days,  in  addition  to  twenty -two 
consumed  in  reaching  the  Deer  Chief's  camp  ;  making  six- 
ty-four days  that  M'Crea  and  Arnold  passed  among  the 
Tchuktehis.  They  were  kindly  treated,  though  the  accom- 
modations were  not  of  the  finest  character,  and  the  cuisine 
was  not  suited  to  civilized  tastes.  Added  to  the  slow  mode 
of  travelling,  the  route  was  very  circuitous,  and  thus  the 
journey  was  made  longer  than  it  would  otherwise  have 
been. 

There  are  two  large  villages,  about  twenty  versts  apart, 
and  three  smaller  ones  in  the  neighborhood,  all  known  by 
the  name  of  Anadyrsk ;  the  former  being  designated  the 
Crepass  (fortress),  and  the  second,  farther  up  the  river,  the 
Markavo.  When  Captain  M'Crea  reached  the  Markavo, 
he  found  there  the  other  members  of  his  party,  who  had 
been  brought  up  from  the  mouth  of  the  river  by  the  direct 
route. 

From  there  M'Crea  and  Arnold  proceeded  to  Ghijega. 
Above  the  Markova  the  Anadyr  is  well  wooded. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  Kennon  and   Dodd   left 


I  til  ' 

11 


i 


«;  l;fi 


296 


Anadyrsk. 


Ghijega  for  Anadyrsk ;  and  it  was  on  this  trip  that  the 
former  discovered  a  river  named  the  Myan,  which,  rising 
in  the  mountains  near  the  Penjinsk  River,  eventually  forms 
one  of  the  principal  tributaries  of  the  Anadyr.  Mr.  Bush, 
as  before  mentioned  (p.  144),  who  also  travelled  from  Ghi- 
jega to  the  mouth  of  the  Anadyr,  was  enabled  to  make  a 
longer  direct  journey  than  any  others  of  our  explorers — 

« 

that  from  Nicolaiefski  to  Anadyr  Bay.  Later,  in  1866-7, 
many  of  the  gentlemen  just  mentioned,  with  others,  went 
over  various  parts  of  the  same  country,  but  their  journeys 
were  made  more  with  reference  to  the  business  of  the  com- 
pany, the  transportation  of  goods,  etc.,  than  with  a  view  to 
exploration. 

I  have  simply  recorded  the  outlines  of  these  Asiatic 
journeys :  it  is  for  those  engaged  in  them  to  give  us  a 
fuller  narrative,  or  narratives,  and  I  trust  that  some  of  them 
may  yet  do  so. 


I 


■X  •' 


t;n 


California  of  To-Day. 


297 


CHAPTER   XXIV. 


CALIFORNIA. 

California  in  1849. — To-day. — Agricultural  Progress. — Wine  Manufacture. 
— Climate. — Lower  California. — San  Francisco. — No  Paper-money. — 
Coinnpe. — Growth. — General  Prosperity. — Scarcity  of  Labor. — Hiring 
a  Domestic. — Luxuries  of  the  Land. — "  Tiie  Mission." — Hotel  Girle. — 
Home  for  the  Inebriates. — Immigration  desired. — Newspapers. — Chinese 
Population. — •'  John's  "  Status. — John  as  a  Miner. — Dead  Chinamen. — 
Celestial  Entertainment. — Merchant's  Pigtail. 

Twenty  years  ago,  California,  one  of  the  richest  and 
most  fertile  countries  of  the  globe,  was  lying  absolutely 
unheeded,  with  but  a  few  indolent  Spanish  settlers,  and  a 
still  smaller  number  of  Americans,  scattered  at  long  inter- 
vals over  its  surface.  Now  it  has  a  population  of  half  a 
million,  and  the  cry  is  "  still  they  come." 

When  the  gold  excitement*  in  1849  broke  out  in  full 
force,  it  called  attention  to  the  country ;  and  thousands, 
drawn  there  by  the  universal  magnet,  remained  to  become 
prosperous  and  permanent  settlers.  There  are  few  wh(> 
know  California  who  do  not  become  warmly  attached  to  it, 
and,  in  the  country  itself,  it  is  a  well-known  and  oft-re- 
marked fact,  that  most  of  those  who,  after  a  lengthened 
sojourn,  leave  it  for  their  old  homes  in  other  parts  of  the 
world,  soon  return  to  their  "first  love,"  finding  no  oth^r 
like  it. 

An  impression  prevails  in  England  that  we  knew  all 


*  It  is  well  known  that  the  first  gold  discovery  of  importance  was  made 
in  1848  by  Marshall,  a  man  in  the  employ  of  Captain  Sutter,  a  Swiss,  who 
first  settled  there  in  1839.  But  Californians  usually  date  the  rise  of  the 
country  from  1849. 


I! '4 


^■\  ^ 


■  ;  !. 


,  f ' 


'J98  Wheat-Growing — Wine  Manl'factlue. 

about  this  happy  land,  because,  in  its  early  history,  book 
after  book  issued  from  the  press,  telling  of  the  gold,  of  the 
restless  spirits  who  gathered  from  all  points  in  its  search, 
of  the  lawlessness  that  prevailed,  and  of  the  unheard-of 
prices  of  the  necessaries  of  life.  Some  there  were,  too,  who 
told  us  of  the  natural  wonders  of  the  country  of  the  gey- 
sers, of  the  grand  Yosemite  Valley,  and  the  "  big  trees  "  of 
Calaveras  and  of  Mariposa.  All  admitted  it  was  a  fruitful 
land,  but  we  then  heard  little  or  nothing  of  the  chances  of 
its  ever  becoming  a  grand  field  for  agriculture. 

Yet,  although  at  the  present  time,  gold,  silver,  mercury, 
and  coal  all  yield  abundant  returns,  they  are  eclipsed  by 
the  more  solid  progress  of  the  country  in  tiie  cultivation 
of  the  soil.  So  much  grain  is  raised,  that  not  merely  does 
it  help  to  supply  Europe,  but  it  is  forwarded  even  to  the 
"  Eastern "  or  Atlantic  States,  often  vi:^.  that  expensive 
route  the  Isthmus  of  Panama.  In  the  state  statistics  for 
1866,  the  amount  ofwheat*  grown  is  set  down  at  14,000,000 
bushels,  and  of  barley  nearly  as  much.  The  wine  manufac- 
ture is  fast  becoming  a  leading  branch  of  industry ;  ovar 
3,000,000  gallons  is  now  the  annual  produce  of  California, 
and  the  quantity  will  largely  increase.  The  culture  of  the 
vine  and  the  art  of  wine-making  are,  of  course,  in  their  in- 
fancy in  a  country  itself  so  young ;  but  some  of  the  wines 
would  compare  favorably  with  French  and  German  pro- 
ductions, although  Californians  are  said  to  prefer  sending 
their  wines  to  Boston  and  New  York,  and  drinking  foreign 
wines  themselves !  This  is,  to  an  extent,  true  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, but  not  of  the  people  of  the  wine  districts,  who  evi- 
dently thrive  on  their  own  produce.  Many  kinds  are 
made — white,  red,  and  sparkling.      The   manufacture  of 

*  "In  California  one  seeding  and  one  cultivation  suffice  for  two  crops. 
The  ('  volunteer')  crop  of  the  second  year  is,  perhaps,  one-fifth  less  in  quan- 
tity, but  it  is  all  profit." — Overland  Monthly,  San  Francisco,  August,  18G8. 


Climate — Growth  of   the  City. 


29{) 


grape  brandy  h?.s  also  been  commenced  on  a  large  scale. 
Kaisins,  figs,  prunes,  peaches,  and  apples  are  now  dried  in 
quantities.  Tb*}  climate  of  California  is  such  that  the  most 
tender  varieties  of  European  grapes,  with  the  olive,  orange, 
and  almond,  will  ripen  in  the  open  air.  In  Lower  Califor- 
nia, where  there  is  almost  a  tropical  climate,  the  culture  ol" 
coffee,  cocoa,  palms,  and  bananas  has  been  attempted  suc- 
cessfully. In  that  part  of  the  country— as  yet  very  thinly 
settled — the  inhabitants  are  said,  but  nut  on  the  best  au- 
thority, to  read  the  morning  papers  (when  they  get  them !) 
up  to  their  necks  in  water — where  they  are  lucky  anough 
to  find  any.  Towels  are  an  unnecessary  luxury,  the  heat 
of  the  sun  causing  immediate  evaporation.  If  you  hang 
up  a  string  of  candles,  in  a  few  hours  the  grease  runs  ofi' 
them,  and  there  is  nothing  left  but  the  wicks,  and  they  are 
always,  therefore,  kept  in  ice  till  required.  Droughts  are 
common,  and  whisky  is  said  to  be  cheaper  than  water, 
which,  if  true,  may  account  for  some  of  the  other  state- 
ments ! 

The  writer  has  from  1862-7,  inclusive,  repeatedly  revis- 
ited San  Francisco,  finding  each  time  marked  and  rapid 
changes.  The  once  disorderly  village  of  shanties  and  tents 
is  now  an  orderly  city  of  140,000  souls.  Its  best  streets  are 
almost  Parisian,  its  public  buildings  would  be  a  credit  to 
any  city,  and  its  hotels  are  better  kept  and  furnished  than 
those  of  New  York,  and  that  is  saying  much.  A  sea  wall 
and  docks,  both  long  needed,  are  now  in  course  of  con- 
struction. 

The  State  of  California  has  steadily  resisted  the  intro- 
duction of  a  "greenback"  currency,  or  "shin -plasters,"  as 
they  are  irreverently  called ;  and  those  who  attempt  to 
pay  their  debts  in  this  paper-money  at  its  nominal  value 
are  advertised  in  all  the  papers  of  the  country.  There  is 
still   no  money  in  circulation  under  a  ten-cent  piece,  or 


m ! 


i 


300 


Coinage — Potulation. 


"  bit,"  as  it  is  termed,  while  Calilbrnians  can  boast  th'^ 
handsomest  gold  cola  in  the  world  in  their  twenty-doUai- 
piece.  In  the  car'^y  'Jays  there  was  a  still  larger  coin,  one 
worth  over  £10  sterling,  a  fifty-dollar  piec^,  an  octagonal 
"  slug  "  of  gold,  not  unlike  a  Japanese  coin.  They  were 
made  so  carelessly  that  they  frequently  contained  a  dollar 
or  two  in  gold  above  their  supposed  value.  The  Jewj- 
used  to  file  and  "sweat "them  till  they  were  not  worth 
forty  dollars;  their  coinage  was  in  consequence  discon- 
tinued. 

The  only  city  of  the  United  States  outside  of  New  York 
which  can  compare  with  San  Francisco  in  rapid  increase 
of  population  is  Chicago,  in  Illinois.  San  Francisco  is  as 
much  the  centre  of  American  interests  on  the  Pacific,  as  is 
New  York  of  those  on  the  Atlantic;  and  her  2^'^Qsent pop- 
ulation is  as  great  as  icas  that  of  the  latter  city  in  1820,  two 
hundred  vears  after  her  first  settlement. 

If  it  were  possible  to  galvanize  the  Mexican  ports  of 
that  coast  into  life,  or  if  Victoria,  Vancouver  Island,  had  a 
good  country  round  or  near  it,  San  Francisco  might  have  a 
successful  rival ;  as  it  is,  she  stands  alone,  and  must  be  the 
commercial  emporium  of  the  coast.  Again  Fr'  sco  (as  her 
citizens  often  lovingly  call  her)  is  the  terminal  point  of 
that  great  enterprise  the  Pacific  Eailway,  and  by  1870,  in 
all  probability,  the  Chinese,  Japanese,  and  Oriental  trade 
for  the  States,  and  some  of  that  for  Europe,  will  pass 
through  her.  A  line  of  splendid  steamers  is  even  now  run- 
ning from  San  Francisco  to  China  and  Japan. 

The  general  prosperity  of  the  people  is  very  apparent. 
Where  else  in  the  world  do  you  find  the  laborer  on  the 
docks,  or  the  advertising  "  medium  "  walking  with  his 
boards  ci  la  sandwich,  jauntily  smoking  a  ten-cent  cigar  ? 
Where  else  do  you  find  no  beggars  dogging  you  in  every 
street,  and  no  crossing-sweeper  bothering  you  at  every  cor- 


Piiosi'EitiTY — ¥k male  Lahoh. 


801 


ner?  Mendicity  is  x\oi (h'lhuba;  it  does  not  exist!  Tlierc 
was  ccriiiinly  the  "  Emperor  Norton,"  a  kind  of  biilf-vvitted 
iellow,  clothed  in  regimentals,  who  issued  pompous  procla- 
mations, and  subsisted  by  levying  biack-mail  on  those  who 
were  amused  by  his  fooleries,  or  ou  the  "  free  lunches"  of 
the  bar-rooms.  There  was  certainly  a  huge  Mexican  fe- 
male eternally  smoking  cigarettos  or  munching  fruit  the 
while  she  extended  one  hand  for  alms ;  but  beggary  of 
that  painful  kind,  wLich  is  so  largely  developed  in  every 
old  country,  is  not  known  there.  Except  in  the  sailors' 
quarters,  in  the  lower  part  of  the  town,  no  fallen  women 
accost  or  molest  the  passing  stranger;  there  are  many  of 
them,  indeed,  as  elsewhere,  but  they  are  not  reduced  to 
that  depth  of  degradation.  Servant-girls  still  get  their 
twenty-five  dollars  a  month,  and  usually  "engage"  their 
mistresses!  The  laborer  on  a  farm,  or  "ranch,"  as  it  is 
invariably  called,  gets  his  thirty  dollars,  and  is  "  found  " 
in  board  and  lodging ;  the  skilled  mechanic  averages  four 
dollars  a  day. 

Indeed,  so  scarce  is  female  labor  as  yet,  that  I  believe 
the  following  anecdote — taken  from  a  California  newspaper 
— may  be  regarded  as  true : 

"  A  well-to-do  citizen  of  San  Francisco,  happening  to  be 
short  of  servant-girls,  was  requested  by  his  wife  to  call  on  a 
young  lady  who  had  expressed  her  willingness  to  engage, 
for  a  consideration,  to  spend  a  portion  of  her  time  in  the 
residence  of  some  highly  respectable  family,  '  references  ex- 
changed,' etc.  He  called  on  the  interesting  female,  and 
found  her  all  his  fancy  painted  her,  and  more,  too ;  in  fact, 
a  master-piece  of  the  milliners',  hair-dressers',  jewellers', 
painters',  plasterers',  and  chemists'  art,  and  as  airy  as  a  red- 
wood palace,  with  cloth  and  papered  walls,  on  Telegraph 
Hill.  A  few  minutes'  conversation  satisfied  him  that  h(^ 
had  opened  the  negotiation  on  a  wrong  basis,  and  in  fact 


f   i 


;  I'i 


302 


Hiking  a  Domestic. 


he  was  the  party  to  bo  engaged,  not  the  high-toned  lady 
before  liiin  who  answered  no  questions  at  all,  and  question- 
ed him  with  all  the  nonchalanp>^  ^a  practiced  horse-buy- 
er cheapening  a  three-legged    i  ^.  at  a  Government  sale. 
The  interview  closed  as  follows : 
"  'Female.  Where  do  you  live?' 
*' '  Citizen.  Well,  out  pretty  near  the  Mission  Dolores.'* 
"  '  Female  (with  a  doubtful  shake  of  her  head).  That  is 
a  long  way  from  Montgomery  Street;  almost  too  far,  I  am 
afraid  I     IIow  many  children  have  you  in  the  family?' 
"'Citizen  (modestly).  We  have  four,  madam.' 
"  '  Female.  Four !     That  is  a  great  deal  too  many.' 
"  'Citizen  (abashed  and  humbled,  taking  his  hat  in  his 
hand,  nervously).  Well,  madam,  do  you  think  you  could 
get  along  with  two  or  three  children  ?' 

" '  Female.  I  suppose  I  mighty  but  you  say  you  have 
four.'' 

"  '  Citizen  (edging  toward  the  door).  Yes,  madam,  I  did 
say  four,  but  rather  than  give  you  offense  and  risk  a  fiiilure 
of  the  negotiation,  I  did  not  know  but  my  wife  might  be 
prevailed  on  to  droion  one  or  two  of  them  P 

"  With  a  look  of  insulted  dignity  the  female  rose  and 
waved  her  hand,  as  much  as  to  say,  'You  won't  do !  Get 
from  my  sight  I'  and  the  citizen  went  out  of  her  presence, 

*  This  is  the  quarter  round  the  old  Mission  San  Francisco,  erected  in 
1775-6  by  the  Spaniards,  and  which  is  repeatedly  mentioned  by  all  the  old 
writers  on  the  coast — Vancouver,  Humboldt,  Wilkes,  Beechey,  Forbes,  etc. 
The  old  church  still  exists,  and  a  quantity  of  Spanish  MSS.  and  old  books 
are  to  be  found  there.  It  is  about  two  miles  from  the  heart  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, but  now  forms  an  integral  ,,art  of  it.  There  are  horse  and  Fteani 
*'  cars  "  running  out  to  it,  as  to  every  other  part  of  the  city.  Amusinj^ 
stories  are  told  of  the  Mission's  early  days,  when  the  Indians  would  only 
keep  working  in  the  manufacture  of  adobes  (sun-dried  bricks)  so  long  as  the 
good  fathers  kept  singing  to  them.  As  late  as  1840,  large  boilers  were  to 
be  seen,  in  which  oxen  were  sometimes  boiled  nihole  (I  had  almost  said  *'  in 
one  joint  I")  for  the  Indians'  consumption. — See  Hutchings's  "Scenes,  etc., 
m  California." 


Immiquatiun  Desiukd. 


^03 


m 


feeling,  as  he  avows,  at  least  a  thousand  per  cent,  meaner 
and  more  contem})tible,  in  his  own  opinion,  tium  he  had 
ever  felt  or  had  eause  to  feel  before.  He  says  he  is  entirely 
satisfied  with  his  experience  in  the  line  of  hiring  serv- 
ant-girls, and  don't  want  to  try  his  hand  at  the  business 
again." 

Even  if  the  above  is  not  true  in  faet,  it  is  in  spirit.  Let 
those  who  expect  to  get  domestics  on  the  same  easy  terms 
as  at  home,  or  to  make  them  "  keep  their  place  "  with  del- 
erential  awe,  stay  where  they  are.  So  rare  are  female 
servants  that  a  Chinaman  or  two  forms  a  part  of  every 
large  household  in  city  or  country.  Those  who  are  lucky, 
get  an  Irish  "  Biddy  "  or  Kathleen,  may  be,  but  it  is  very 
rare  indeed  to  find  a  native  American  in  any  menial  em- 
ployment whatever. 

A  tide  of  immigration  is  much  needed  and  desired  by 
Californians ;  the  want  of  labor  often  seriously  impedes  the 
progress  of  the  country.  The  man  who  now  goes  there 
with  a  little  cash  in  hand  may  soon  become  a  prosperous 
land-owner  himself.  He  will  go  to  a  couni  y  whose  cli- 
mate is  that  of  Italy,  or  the  South  of  France,  whose  com- 
mon productions  are  the  luxuries  of  other  lands.  The 
writer  can  not  name  edibles  more  abundant  in  their  season 
in  the  San  Francisco  market  than  salmon,  venison,  turtles, 
peaches,  and  grapes — things  the  very  idea  of  which  makes 
an  epicure's  mouth  water  The  first  is  generally  retailed 
at  eight  or  ten  cents  a  pound,  and  the  last  are  often  sold 
five  pounds  for  twenty-five  cents  (about  a  shilling).  But 
if  these  are  not  good  enough,  a  "  royal "  dish,  the  sturgeon, 
is  to  be  had  by  any  one  who  likes  that  rather  tough  and 
indifferent  diet. 

The  carte  at  a  first-class  San  Francisco  hotel  contains, 
in  one  harmonious  whole,  the  delicacies  of  London,  Paris, 
New  York,  and — New  Orleans.     The  verdant  foreigner 


•  i 


w 


I    I 


ill 


1  i.i. 


aw.'  1 


1- 

PI' 


,1^ 


i  <i 


30-4 


"IIoMK     FOU    THE    InEHUIATES." 


can — till  dyspepsia  brin<,'s  him  back  to  sanity  and  plain 
living — revel  in  walHes,  buckwheat  and  flannel  cakes,  fried 
and  boiled  mush,  hominy,  corn-bread,  French  and  Spanish 
omelets,  the  national  fish-ball,  gumbo-soup,  terrapin -stews, 
clam  and  codfish  chowders,  potato-salad,  sweet  potatoes, 
oyster-plants,  green-corn,  elk-meat,  California  (juails,  squash- 
pie,  iloating-island,  ice-creams,  and  rose-candy  (candies  and 
sweetmeats  often  figure  in  the  dessert  of  a  dinner  bill  of 
fare).  The  price  of  board  and  lodging  at  such  houses  is 
two  and  a  half  to  three  dollars  a  day  (or,  by  the  month, 
about  fifty-five  to  sixty  dollars).  This  is  one-third  lower 
than  the  New  York  charges.  There  arc  no  extras  (wines, 
etc.,  of  course  excepted).  iScrvants  are  never  c/Ktn/ed,  nor — 
excepting  for  special  services  —  do  they  expect  payment. 
Indeed,  if  you  offered  a  San  Francisco  waiter  any  remunera- 
tion (at  the  European  standard),  he  would  {)robably  punch 
your  head,  v^r  lea^o  you  to  wait  on  yourself,  lie  would, 
however,  readily  "  take  a  drink  "  with  you. 

Although  San  Francisco  is  full  of  bar-rooms,  "  saloons," 
and  Dutch  lager  bier  cellars  (the  German  fiimily  are  all 
called  Dutchmen  in  San  P'rancisco,  and  the  same  title  is 
given  usually  to  Norwegians,  Swedes,  and  Danes — I  have 
even  known  a  Switzer  called  a  Dutchman !),  there  is  little 
drunkenness  to  be  observed.  This  is  doubtless  partly  due 
to  the  prevailing  American  style  of  drinking — "  small  doses 
— and  often  I"  There  is  one  institution  in  the  city — which 
is,  I  believe,  peculiar  to  it — the  "  Home  for  the  Inebri- 


ates 


)j 


It  is  what  its  name  implies — a  temporary  hospital  for 
violent  or  incapable  drunkards,  or  for  those  who  are  the 
victims  of  delirium  tremens.  We  have,  or  had,  an  asylum 
for  "  homeless  dogs,"  but  we  are  not  quite  so  lenient  to  our 
inebriates. 

San  Francisco  has  eight  daily  papers  and  a  dozen  week- 


Nkwspapeus — "John  Chinaman."      305 

lies.*  One  of  these  contains  a  new  feature:  "  Divorces"  arc 
inserted  in  tlie  column  with  "  Births,  Marriages,"  etc.,  and 
it  reads,  "  Hirths,  Marriages,  Divorces,  and  Deatiis!"  In 
point  oC  fact,  the  new  heading  is  well  supported  I  A  Fr- 
uian  paper,  said  to  be  printed  in  green  ink,  the  writer  was 
never  able  to  discover. 

The  Chinese  population  is  a  great  feature  of  this  country, 
and  is  said  to  be  0U,OUU  strong.  "John  Chinaman"  you 
find  everywhere;  he  is  house-servant,  e()(ik,  farm  laborer, 
miner,  even  railway  "  navvy."t  I^*^  ^^^^^^  "><'"^t  of  the 
laundry  business,  and  it  is  a  curious  and  rather  unpleasant 
sight  to  witness  him  ironing  out  clothes,  with  a  great  open 
pan  of  hot  charcoal,  and  sprinkling  them  by  filling  his 
mouth  with  water,  and  squirting  it  over  them  in  a  fine 
spray  through  his  clenched  teeth.  Their  signs.  Gee  Wo, 
EIop  Chang,  or  Cum  Sing  (actual  names),  are  seen  on  every 
secondary  street.  And  very  strong-smelling  is  the  special 
Chinese  quarter,  with  its  curious  little  shops,  eating-liouses, 
and  laundries,  where  nine  persons  out  of  ten  you  meet  are 
from  the  "  Flowery  Land,"  and  wandering  in  which,  you 


*  T7ie  Alta  California,  Tlie  Bulletin,  and  The  Sacramento  Union  arc  pa- 
pers of  a  very  superior  class,  and  are  much  aliead  of  the  New  York  and 
Boston  journals  in  paper  and  tyin;.  A  new  niat^aziiie,  T/ie  Overlfttid  Month- 
ly, very  similar  in  apj)earanee  to  The  Atlantic  Monthly,  has  just  (July,  18G8) 
reached  England.     It  has  commenced  its  existence  with  much  s|)irit. 

t  Several  thousands  are  now  employoil  in  hiiilding  the  I'arific  Railroad. 
A  late  numher  of  the  San  Francisco  Bulletin  says  :  "  As  a  tunnel-cutter,  he 
was  especially  invaluable.  Durinp  the  progress  of  the  great  '  Summit ' 
tunnel  (through  the  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains)  there  was  a  strike  in  some 
of  the  Nevada  mines,  and  a  number  of  Cornishmen  came  up  to  work  for  the 
company.  But  it  was  found  that  the  Chinamen  could  do  considerably 
more  work  and  stand  the  fatigue  and  foul  air  of  under-ground  work  much 
better.  The  Cornishmen  tried  it  a  while,  but  concluded  to  leave  the  work 
of  boring  through  granite  mountains  to  the  more  adaptable  Celestial,  and 
went  away  in  disgust." 

Three  hundred  are  engaged  at  the  "Mission"  Wool-mills  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, in  the  manufacture  of  cloths,  flannels,  and  blankets  from  Californian 
wool. 

u 


1  I 


'        K 


I 

)    .  ! 


n 


i  1 
1  I 


306 


( ( 


John"  as  a  Servant. 


might  imagine  that  you  bad  lost  yourself  in  Canton  or 
Pekin. 

These  gentry  have  several  "joss  houses"  and  two  the- 
atres, where  the  performances  are  of  an  interminable  na- 
ture, as  they  take  the  reign  of  an  emperor,  and  play  it 
through  in  detail  night  after  night.  Their  gambling-houses 
are  numerous,  and  their  attractions  are  enhanced  by  (Chi- 
nese) wine,  women,  and  opium.  The  police  have  some 
trouble  with  these  establishments,  from  brawls  not  of  a 
"  celestial "  nature.  It  is  said  that  opium-smoking  is  more 
general  among  them  here  than  even  in  their  own  land; 
the  facilities  for  obtaining  it  are  probably  greater,  and,  like 
many  a  better  man,  "  John  "  is  cut  off  from  his  own  kindred, 
and  is  more  dependent  on  his  own  resources  to  while  away 
his  leisure  hours. 

The  larger  part  of  the  poor  Chinese  in  California  have 
been  "  imported  "  by  some  five  or  six  companies  composed 
of  theii  wealthier  countrymen,  and  it  is  a  well-known  fact 
that  for  a  long  time  after  their  arrival  they  are  in  a  species 
of  bondage  ;  paying  off,  in  fact,  their  passage-money,  etc. 

A  tax  of  four  dollars  a  head  per  month  is  imposed  by 
the  state  on  every  Chinaman,  and,  though  he  forms  an  un- 
doubtedly useful  part  of  the  population,  it  can  not  be  said 
that  he  has  a  very  pleasant  time  in  California.  The  "  poor 
white  man  "  looks  on  him  as  an  interloper,  who  lowers  the 
price  of  w"ges,  and  is  consequently  deserving  of  the  worst 
forms  of  persecution  ;  the  "  dead  broke  "or  "  busted  "  gam- 
bler in  the  mines  comes  round  with  a  bundle  of  papers  and 
an  inkhorn,  collecting  from  his  unsuspecting  victim  a  "tax" 
on  his  own  account,  to  enable  him  to  start  a  inoute,  or  faro 
bank,  once  more ;  and  the  Indian  looks  on  him  as  his  right- 
ful prey,  and  murders  him  when  the  opportunity  occurs. 
It  is  to  be  remarked  that  the  Indians  of  the  coast  general- 
ly, as  far  as  my  experience  goes,  look  on  the  negro  also  as 


tl 


U^i 


"  Cklestial  "  Entertainment. 


3U7 


a  thoroughly  inferior  being  to  themselves.  As  a  servant. 
"Jolin"  is  certainly  better  than  the  negro;  he  attends  to 
his  business,  and  is  not  so  fussy.  On  the  new  China  steam- 
ship line  from  San  Francisco,  Chinese  waiters  are  employed 
exclusively. 

In  the  mining  districts  "John  Chinaman"  is  to  be  seen 
travelling  through  the  country,  carrying  his  traps  on  either 
end  of  a  long  pole  in  the  style  depicted  on  the  tea-chests 
familiar  to  us  from  earliest  childhood.  In  this  manner  he 
"packs"  much  larger  loads  than  the  ordinary  traveller. 
The  writer  well  remembers  a  Chinaman  he  met,  carrying 
at  one  end  of  his  stick  a  bag  of  rice,  a  j)ick  and  shovel,  a 
pair  of  extra  pantaloons,  a  frying-pan,  and  a  billy-pot,  while 
from  the  other  depended  a  coop  of  fowls  and  chickens,  of 
which  "John"  is  devotedly  fond.  In  this  respect  he  is 
wiser  than  his  betters ;  for  while  the  ordinary  "  honest 
miner  "  is  feeding  on  beans,  bacon,  and  tea,  he  has  eggs  and 
chickens  with  his  rice,  and  is  very  diligent  in  searching 
out  and  utilizing  wild  onions,  berries,  and  roots.  In  ISBf) 
a  number  of  Chinamen  arrived  at  intervals,  in  several  ves- 
sels, in  Victoria,  V.  I.,  and  a  few  hours  after  landing  they 
invariably  found  their  way  into  the  woods  or  on  to  the  sea- 
beach,  where  they  collected  shell-fish  and  many  kinds  of 
sea-weed,  which  they  stewed  and  fried  in  various  shapes. 

But  though  "  John  "  has  no  objection  to  live  in  Califor- 
nia, and  often  has  to  die  there,  he  will  not  consent  to  be 
buried  away  from  the  "  Flowery  Land,"  and  every  vessel 
for  Hong  Kong  and  Shanghai  takes  a  cargo  of  defunct  Chi- 
namen— the  wealthy  ones  put  up  in  spirits  or  embalmed. 

Large  and  influential  firms  or  companies  of  a  bettei" 
class  of  these  people  exist  in  the  city,  and  they  some  iimes 
offer  entertainments  to  "  distinguished  arrivals."  In  June, 
1866,  one  was  held  in  honor  of  the  U.  S.  ministers  to  China 
and  Japan,  then  waiting  for  a  vessel  to  convey  them  to 


I 


308 


Chinese   "Chignon^." 


their  destination,  and  was,  in  Californian  pbraselogy,  a 
"high-toned  and  elegant"  affair.  The  "carte"  included 
sharks'  fins,  birds'-nest  soup,  reindeer  sinews,  geranium  and 
violet  cakes,  samshoo  and  rose  wine,  but  was  not  deficient 
in  the  good  things  of  our  cuisine,  accompanied  by  an  un- 
limited supply  of  champagne.  A  toast  to  the  minister  to 
China  concluded  with  a  thoroughly  Oriental  sentiment: 
"  We  wish  your  excellency  ten  thousand  golden  pleasures, 
and  a  happy  voyage  to  the  Central  Flowery  Empire !" 

The  wealthier  Chinese  merchants — many  of  them  very 
intelligent  men — often  wear  European  clothing,  and  their 
pigtails  are  then  coiled  np  in  neat  chignons  (I  believe  this 
is  the  correct  word?)  at  the  back  of  their  heads.  But  the 
tail  is  always  there,  and  nothing  would  induce  them  to  part 
with  it.  When  their  hair  is  naturally  short  or  scanty,  fine 
black  silk,  and  sometimes  real  hair,  is  woven  into  it  to 
make  up  the  deficiency.  I  have  heard  of  something  not 
very  dissimilar  in  vogue  recently  among  our  countrywomen, 
but  do  not,  of  course,  believe  it ! 


■I ;  I  i 


T  ! 


1  i' 


Society  in  San  Fkancisco. 


300 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

CALIFORNIA — continued. 

San  Francisoo  Society. — Phraseology. — Ladies  of  Fr'isco. — Sunday  in  the 
Cilv. — Free  Criticism  on  Parsons. — Site. — Steep  Streets. — San  Fran- 
cisco Calves.  —  Eartliqnaiies.  —  House-moving,  — Fire  Companies. — 
♦'  Wells,  Fargo  &  Co.'s  Express."— The  three-cent  Stamps.— The  Men  of 
the  Pacific. 

Society  in  the  "  Bay  City,"  though  still  a  little  "  mixed," 
to  use  a  Californian  phrase,  is,  taking  it  altogether,  a  much 
heartier,  jollier,  sincerer  thing  than  elsewhere.  Californians 
will  have  none  of  the  airs  of  the  high  and  mighty ;  they 
call  it  "  putting  on  frills,"  they  say  that  sort  of  thing  is 
"  played  out,"  and  recommend  such  to  "  vamose  the  ranch," 
or  get  from  their  sight.  Ask  them  how  they  are,  and  the 
answer  is  pat,  "  Oh,  gay  and  festive,"  with  probably  the 
affirmative  positive,  "  you  bet,"  or  may  be  "  you  bet  your 
boots."  If  a  preacher,  actor,  or  writer  indulges  in  an  ex- 
aggerated manner,  they  say  "  he  piles  on  the  agony  "  too 
much,  has  a  "spread-eagle"  or  " high -falu tin"  style  ab6ut 
him.  The  derivation  of  the  last  term  is  involved  in  mys- 
tery. Many  of  the  common  expressions  are  taken  from 
mining  operations  and  experiences.  "  It  panned  out  well," 
means  that  "  it  gave  good  returns."  "  Show,"  or  "  color," 
from  the  indications  of  gold  in  gravel  or  sand,  are  words 
used  in  various  shapes.  "  I  have  not  a  show,"  means  I 
have  no  chance.  "We  have  not  seen  the  'color'  of  his 
money,"  means  he  has  not  paid  up  a  farthing.  "  Prospect " 
— to  search  for  gold — is  used  in  many  ways ;  ask  if  a  spec- 
.-lation  promises  vvell,  they  may  answer,  "  It  prospects  well, 


r^.; 


ft 


) 


M'lU 


K,.P    : 


i! 


310 


Californian  Puraseology, 


if  we  can  only  make  the  riffle,"  the  last  an  allusion  to  suc- 
cessfully getting  over  a  "  rapid "  or  "  riffle  "  on  a  river. 
Or,  if  the  thing  has  disappointed,  it  may  be,  "  We  got  down 
to  the  '  bed  rock,'  and  found  it  a  '  bilk ' " — Californian  for 
a  humbug. 

If  one  looks  anxious,  they  say,  "  There's  a  heap  of  troubh; 
on  the  old  man's  mind ;"  and  if  one  is  got  up  elaborately  in 
a  "biled  shirt"  {L  e.,  white  shirt),  a  "  stove-pipe"  (or  as  we 
say,  "  chimney-pot")  hat,  and  a  suit  of  new  broadcloth,  one 
is  apt  to  be  asked,  "  You've  rather  spread  yourself,  haven't 
you  ?"  It  is  common  for  men  to  shave  a  good  deal,  and 
the  city  is  full  of  barbers'  shops,  where  you  can  get  your- 
self shaved  and  your  boots  blacked  at  one  and  the  same 
time.  These  establishments  are  often  luxuriously  fitted 
up,  and  beat  any  thing  of  the  kind  to  be  seen  in  the  "  East- 
ern "  States.  Beards  are  termed  "  chin-whiskers,"  and  our 
"  whiskers "  are  distinguished  as  "  side-whiskers."  The 
terms  for  most  things  are  on  a  more  magnificent  scale  than 
with  us.  A  bar-room  is  invariably  a  "  saloon,"  an  eating- 
house,  a  "restaurant"  (pronounced  in  an  Anglicized  man- 
ner), and  a  shop  is  a  "  store."  ,  A  good  substantial  repast 
is  known  as  a  "  square  "  meal  all  over  this  coast,  and  the 
term  is  applied  to  many  other  things.  A.  "square"  drink 
is  a  "  deep,  deep  draught,"  and  a  good  " square  fight"  is  an 
encounter  or  "  muss"  where  the  opponents  were  in  earnest. 
Some  of  these  terms  are  common  to  the  "Western"  States 
and  outlying  "  territories,"  but  can  not  be  regarded  as  full- 
blooded  Americanisms.  They  attract  just  as  much  notice 
from  "Eastern"  men  travellmg  in  California  as  they  do 
from  Europeans. 

Listen  to  a  quarrel  in  the  streets:  one  calls  the  other  a 
"regular  dead  beat!"  at  which  he,  in  return,  threatens  to 
"  put  a  head  on  him !"  whereupon  the  first  sneeringly  re- 
torts, "  up  a  flume,"  the  equivalent  of  a  vulgar  cockney's 


m 


Ladies  of  Fk'isco. 


311 


"  over  the  left."  If  one  or  the  other  "  weakens,"  :)r  shows 
signs  of  "caving"  in  and  leaving,  he  is  said  to  "get  up 
and  dust."  It  is  then  the  business  of  his  opponent  to  "  cor- 
ral" him  in  a  corner — a  term  taken  from  the  Spanish  for 
catching  and  shutting  up  cattle  in  an  enclosure.  This  last 
phrase  is  used  in  a  variety  of  ways.  A  police  officer  "  cor- 
rals "  an  offender,  a  greedy  man  at  table  "  corrals  "  all  the 
delicacies,  and  a  broker  "  corrals"  all  the  stock  of  a  com- 
pany, and  controls  the  market,  and  so  on. 

But  in  justice  to  Californians,  it  must  be  stated  that 
many  of  these  phrases  are — among  the  better  classes — only 
known  to  be  avoided.  A  stranger  might  be  a  long  time  in 
the  country  before  he  heard  the  whole  of  the  above.  A 
portion  of  them  are,  however,  common  enough. 

A  San  Franciscan  would  doubtless  detect  something 
equally  strange  in  the  current  "  slang  "  of  London,  which 
we  all  know  to  be  by  no  means  confined  to  the  lower 
classes,  but  which  constantly  crops  out  in  the  conversation 
of  young  men,  and  even,  alas  I  in  that  of  the  young  ladies 
"  of  the  period." 

Although  things  have  changed  since  the  time  when  a 
miner  would  walk  twenty  miles  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  a 
female,  and  when  the  steamboats  advertised  "Four  lady 
passengers  to-night!"  as  a  sure  bait  to  travellers,  they  are 
still  by  no  means  at  a  discount,  and  in  no  place  in  the  world 
does  woman  hold  a  higher  place.  Perhaps,  in  consequence, 
there  is  rather  more  heard  and  seen  of  her  vanity,  weakness, 
and  extravagance.  I  have  the  best  authority  for  stating 
that  "  Perhaps  in  no  other  American  city  would  the  ladies 
*  invoice '  so  high  per  head  when  they  go  out  to  the  opera, 
to  party,  or  ball."  But  though  there  is  a  dash  of  "  fast- 
ness "  on  the  surface,  ladies,  refined,  educated,  and  virtuous, 
are  as  abundant  here  as  they  are  elsewhere,  and  the  girls 
born  in  California  will  bear  the  palm  in  a  country  famous 


m'' 


W?'\ 


m 
m 


ill: 


I'll. 


nii 


in 


II'':         j 


i     I 


312 


Sunday  in  the   City. 


for  its  pretty  girls,  while  their  mothers  at  a  given  age  arc 
more  plump  and  blooming  than  those  of  the  Atlantic 
States. 

Ilere  and  there,  it  is  true,  you  will  find  some  prominent 
citizen  who  in  early  days  "took  unto  himself"  his  washer- 
woman, no  better  being  then  available  ;  and  I  have  native 
authority  for  saying  that  the  men  seem  of  a  higher  grade 
than  the  women.  Nevertheless,  I  am  sure  that  a  mixed 
assembly  of  San  Franciscans  would  compare  favorabh- 
with  a  similar  one  of  New  Yorkers,  where  the  "shoddy" 
and  "petroleum  aristocracies"  have  rather  too  much  sway. 
In  the  country  districts,  ladies  who  attend  to  their  dairies 
and  gardens  in  the  day,  and  in  the  evening  are  able  to  de- 
light you  with  the  best  and  latest  music,  or  tell  you  far 
more  than  you  know  yourself  of  current  literature,  arc  by 
no  means  uncommon. 

In  San  Francisco  Parisian  fashions  dominate,  and  anv 
fine  afternoon  a  rich  display  of  furs  is  to  be  seen  on  Mont- 
gomery Street  (reader,  it  is  always  on,  notm,  a  street  in  this 
country),  which  might  seem  out  of  place  in  so  warm  a  cli- 
mate, but  for  the  fact  that  a  cool  wind  blows  into  the  city 
with  periodical  regularity  in  the  latter  part  of  the  day,  more 
especially  in  summer-time.  The  winter  season  is  by  some 
preferred  to  the  summer,  but  the  climate  of  San  Francisco 
and  its  immediate  neighborhood  is  not  equal  to  that  of  Cal- 
ifornia generally.  This  is  doubtless  owing  to  the  proximity 
of  the  former  to  the  ocean. 

Sunday  in  this  city  has  a  decidedly  foreign  tinge,  al- 
though there  is  a  large  church-goin.Gj  public.  When  the 
writer  was  first  there,  mock  "bull-fights"  and  balloon  as- 
censions usually  took  place  on  the  Sabbath  ;  brass  bands 
paraded  the  streets,  and  it  was  a  favorite  day  for  excur- 
sions of  every  kind.  Some  of  this  has  been  a  little  modi- 
fied :  indeed,  if  you  took  the  number  of  churches  and  chap- 


fU: 


Site — Dust- 11  ills. 


3ia 


els,  Episcopcvl,  Presbyterian,  Methodist,  Congregational,  Uni- 
tarian, and  Konian  Catholic,  San  Francisco  might  bo  consid 
ered  a  very  pious  place  indeed.     The  lloman  Catholics,  con- 
sidered as  one  sect,  predominate  :  the  Jews  arc  very  strong; 
one  of  their  synagogues  is  a  prominent  building  in  the  city. 

The  demand  in  San  Francisco  is  for  liberal  clerjxvmen 
of  high  culture,  and  it  is  indispensable  that  they  shall  have 
good  powers  of  oratory.  Judging  from  what  I  have  seen, 
sect  is  of  little  consequence,  and,  in  pijint  of  fact,  you  will 
meet  Eoman  Catholics  at  the  houses  of  Methodists,  and 
vice  versa,  and  mingling  as  the  best  of  friends.  Before  leav- 
ing this  subject,  one  point  must  be  mentioned — the  very 
free  criticism  the  preacher  gets,  both  in  private  circles  and 
from  the  press.     In  an  American  work  now  lying  before 

me,  the  writer,  alluding  to  a  Rev.  Dr. ,  says  he  "is 

making  his  debut  as  pastor  of  one  of  the  Presbyterian  socie- 
ties, and  is  drawing  good  houses !"  The  only  objection 
that  can  fairly  be  made  to  the  preachers  of  California,  and 
indeed  of  the  whole  United  States,  is,  that  they  are  rather 
given  to  mixing  politics  with  their  religion — a  very  curious 
fact  in  a  country  where  Church  has  absolutely  no  connec- 
tion with  State.  ♦ 

The  site  of  the  "  Golden  City  "  was  chosen  rather  for  its 
"water  front"  than  fi-om  any  excellence  in  itself.  It  is 
"  built  on  the  sand,"  and  this  is  ever  before  and  also  m 
your  eyes;  it  is  one  of  the  dustiest  places  on  the  globe, 
though  otherwise  a  clean,  bright-looking  city.  In  the 
suburbs  you  may  see  an  enclosed,  but  unoccupied  "  lot," 
with  the  sand  drifted  up  to  the  top  bars  of  the  fence ;  and 
although  the  principal  streets  are  well  covered  in  with  stone, 
wood-blocks,  and  asphalte,  yet  whenever  they  are  taken 
up  for  repairs  you  see  the  true  foundation  of  the  city.  The 
main  business  streets  are  level,  but  the  side  streets  and 
suburbs  run  up  the  hills  at  angles  often  of  thirty  degrees, 


w:. . 


V! 


Sir 


(; 


r:  ;■ 


314 


Earthquakes. 


and  it  is  even  troublesome  to  keep  your  footing  on  the 
wooden  pavements  or  "  side-walks."  The  houses  seem  in 
places  to  be  holding  on  with  diffieulty,  as  though  a  storm 
or  earthquake  might  shake  them  down  in  a  general  heap 
to  the  bottom.  Nowadays,  when  the  streets  are  being 
"  graded,"  it  frequently  happens  that  the  older  dwellings 
are  left  perched  up  in  the  air  on  a  rocky  bluff  fifty  or  a 
hundred  feet  above  the  road-way,  and  their  owners,  who 
formerly  walked  fropfi  it  direct  to  their  front  doors,  now 
have  to  climb  a  series  of  zigzag  steps  to  reach  them. 

This  exercise  has  a  beneficial  effect  on  San  Franciscan 
legs,  and  nowhere  are  children's  calves  better  developed ! 
As  the  ladies  of  "  Fr'isco  "  do  7iot  put  hoUand  trowsers  on 
the  legs  of  their  pianos  and  dining-room  tables — as  it  is 
said  their  more  prudish  sisters  in  the  New  England  States 
are  in  the  habit  of  doing — this  allusion  may  be  permitted. 
San  Francisco  would  be  an  excellent  place  for  a  Pacific 
Alpine  Club  to  trai  i  in. 

Apropos  of  earthquakes,  San  Francisco  has  had  many  a 
fright  from  feeble  shocks,  which  have  cracked  walls  and 
brought  down  chimneys,  but  have  hitherto  done  little  dam- 
age. But  just  as  these  latter  sheets  are  going  to  press,  the 
telegraph  informs  us  of  the  occurrence  (on  Oct.  21st)  of  an 
earthquake  in  California  of  a  more  serious  nature.  I  hope 
and  believe  that  the  damage  stated  to  have  been  done  to 
property  in  San  Francisco  will  prove  to  have  been  exag- 
gerated, and  that  the  uncertain  allusions  to  loss  of  life  will 
turn  out  to  have  no  foundation  in  fact.*    The  recent  ter- 

*  Fotir  persons  were  killed,  and  a  large  number  were  wounded.  This 
earthquake  was  not  accompanied  by  any  unusual  tidal  phenomena.  The  esti- 
luate  of  property  destroyed  is  various,  ranging  from  $300,000  to  $5,000,000. 
This  destruction  was  almost  entirely  confined  to  the  lower  portion  of  the 
city,  where  the  houses  are  built  upon  made  ground.  The  ground  sunk  in 
several  places,  sometimes  to  the  depth  of  four  feet. — [Note  bv  the  Am. 
Publishers.] 


14:.     s  i 


Earthquakes. 


315 


rible  earthquakes  in  Peru,  etc.,  will  be  fresh  in  the  minds 
of  every  reader.  The  force  of  the  subterranean  disturban- 
ces on  the  west  coast  of  the  American  continent  appears  to 
diminish  as  it  proceeds  northward,  though  more  or  less 
alarming  shocks  are  common,  in  point  of  fact,  all  uvqt  the 
Pacific,  North  and  South.  The  writer  has  experienced 
such  in  California,Vancouver  Island,  and  Russian  America.* 
A  theory  was  started  recently  in  San  Francisco  that  these 
were  simply  the  result  of  thunder-clouds  rolling  over  the 
land ;  but  few  could  be  induced  to  see  them  in  that  light. f 
All  well-situated  property  in  this  city  is  held  at  a  very 
high  value,  and  the  expense  of  house-keeping  induces 
thousands  of  well-to-do  people  to  live  in  the  hotels,  which 
are  certainly  equal  to  those  of  any  country.  But,  notwith- 
standing this,  the  suburbs  are  full  of  cottages,  villas,  and 
mansions  of  a  superior  class,  often  surrounded  by  very  hand- 
some grounds.     As  the  streets  improve,  the  older  board- 


exag- 


*  It  is  well  known  that  shocks  have  been  felt  almost  simultaneously  in 
California,  Oregon,  British  Columbia,  and  the  Sandwich  Islands.  In  18G5, 
when  one  of  the  worst  earthquakes  which  have  frightened  San  Francisco 
occurred — one  of  the  two  peaks  of  Mount  Baker  (a  very  fine  volcanic 
mountain  in  Washington  Territory,  seen  from  most  parts  of  the  Gulf  of 
Georgia,  etc.)  fell  in  partially.  Smoke  and  vapor  rise  from  this  mountain, 
but  there  is,  I  believe,  no  record  of  lava  or  ashes  issuing  from  it.  Mr.  E. 
T.  Coleman,  of  Victoria,  V.  I.,  a  worthy  pioneer  of  the  Alpine  Club  of 
London,  of  which  he  is  an  original  member,  has  twice  essayed  the  ascent 
uf  Mount  Baker,  and  although  he  has  not  yet  reached  its  summit,  I  have 
no  doubt  he  means  to  do  it.  The  difficulties  he  encountered — dense  forests, 
mountain  torrents,  and  a  lack  of  guides — are  a  fair  sample  of  those  whicli 
will  beset  all  travellers  in  these  half-developed  countries.  There  will  be  al- 
most as  much  trouble  to  reach  the  base  of  a  mountain  as  its  summit. 

t  A  recent  New  York  paper  publishes  the  following  telegram  from 
California: — "On  the  15th  August  (18G8),  a  singular  tidal  plienomenon 
occurred  off  San  Pedro,  Southern  California.  A  series  of  waves  commenced 
flowing  upon  the  coast,  causing  the  tide  to  rise  sixty-tlu'ee  or  sixty-four 
feet  above  the  ordinary  high-water  mark,  which  was  followed  by  the  falling 
of  the  tide  an  equal  distance  below  the  usual  low-water  mark.  The  rise 
and  fall  occurred  regularly  every  half-hour  for  several  hours,  creating  con- 
siderable alarm  among  the  inhabitants  along  the  coast  in  that  vicinity." 


310 


FiKK   Companies. 


m 


Is'  V. 

U  !■; 

lip" 

^1 


%  ■ .  ! 


and-sliinglo  "frame  buildings"  arc  moved  to  the  outskirts 
on  rollers,  and  often  on  lai'ge,  wide,  low  carts,  with  small 
wheels,  drawn  by  lit'teen  or  twenty  liorses.  Sometimes  the 
family  continues  to  occupy  it  as  usual,  and  you  see  the 
smoke  issuing  from  the  "stove-pipe^,"  or  chimney,  as  it 
travels  through  the  streets.  The  furniture  and  carpets  re- 
main "  as  they  were,"  and  arc  carried  bodily  with  the  house. 
A  travelling  hawker's  caravan  creates  more  notice  here  in 
England  than  this  "  house-moving  "  does  in  San  Francisco ; 
it  is  a  common  occurrence  in  all  Western  and  Paeilie  towns. 
A  house  is  often  deposited  at  the  corner,  or  in  the  middle 
of  a  street,  for  the  night. 

The  "  firemen  "  of  San  Francisco  were  long  one  of  its 
most  interesting  and  worthy  features,  and  their  brightly- 
painted,  brass  and  silver  mounted  steam  and  other  fire-en- 
gines and  apparatus,  rivalled  the  best  that  were  to  be  seen 
in  other  American  cities.  The  earlier  buildings  were  all 
of  wood,  and  even  now  in  the  suburbs  are  commonly  of  the 
same  i.iaterial.  Fires  of  a  terrible  nature  have  devastated 
the  city ;  it  was,  in  its  young  days,  three  times  almost  de- 
stroyed. 

It  is  obvious  that  the  "fire  companies"  were  then  insti- 
tutions of  no  common  value ;  they  numbered  in  their  palmy 
days  three  parts  of  the  best  citizens  of  the  place — all  vol- 
unteers. There  were  "crack"  companies  too,  to  which 
it  was  an  honor  to  belong,  while  the  "chief  engineer"  of 
the  city  was  a  very  distinguished  individual.  But  as  San 
Francisco  increased  in  size,  these  rather  deteriorated  in 
quality,  and  the  "  rowdy"  element  became  rampant.  In  eon- 
sequence,  it  was  not  uncommon  for  several  rival  fire  com- 
panies to  meet  and  fight  at  the  corner  of  a  street  or  before 
the  fire,  sometimes  using  revolvers  and  knives,  while  the 
conflagration  itself  remained  unchecked,  and  it  became  ob- 
vious that  some  other  arrangement  must  be  made.     There 


If  I     ; 

ft  >■ ' 


■ 


"Wells,  Fakgo  k  Co.'h   Kximikss. 


317 


is  now  a  regularly  organized  and  jnu'd  Fire  Department, 
which  works  in  a  satislhetory  manner.  It  is  an  occurrence 
of  every  week,  and  fnc^ueutly  of  every  day,  to  hear  the 
fire-bells  tolling  suddenly.  The  quarter  of  the  town  in 
which  the  fire  exists  is  indicated  by  the  number  of  the 
strokes. 

One  of  the  prominent  "institutions"  of  California,  as 
of  the  whole  coast,  and  in  a  lesser  degree  of  the  wholn 
United  States,  is  certainly  the  famous  Wells,  Fargo  &  Co.'s 
Express.  An  American  writer  before  quoted*  says  truly, 
"a  billiard  saloon,  a  restaurant,  and  a  Wells,  Fargo  &  Co.'s 
office,  are  the  first  three  elements  of  aPaeiiicCoast  mining- 
town."  They  forward  goods  everywhere,  convey  nearly 
all  the  "treasure"  in  gold  or  silver,  do  a  general  banking 
business,  and  are  infinitely  more  trusted  by  the  public  with 
the  transmission  of  mail  matter  than  the  Government  Post- 
office.  This  great  firm,  or  corporation,  has  first  to  buy  the 
Government  stamp,  and  then  add  their  own  to  the  envelope 
they  sell  you.  In  1864  they  purchased  this  way  2,500,000 
of  three-cent  stamps,f  and  125,000  of  higher  value.  The 
quantity  has  now  doubtless  considerably  increased.  Their 
messengers,  armed  and  wide  awake,  ride  through  the  out- 
lying Unsettled,  and  more  or  less  lawless,  districts,  and  are 
met  on  every  steamer  of  the  coast. 

From  this  rough  sketch,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  Pacific 


*  Bowles,  "  Across  the  Continent." 

t  The  three-cent  postafje-stamp  of  the  United  States  is  equal  to  the 
penny  stamp  of  Great  Britain.  Affixed  to  the  letter,  it  will  frank  it  from 
one  extreme  of  the  country  to  the  other — from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific. 
We  are  justly  proud  of  our  cheap  postage,  but  we  have  hardly  attained  tliat 
degree  of  cheapness — 3000  miles  for  three  cents!  At  the  present  time,  too, 
that  charj^e  is  hardly  in  advance  of  our  own  ;  three  cents — paper — is  little 
more  than  an  English  penny.  But  there  is  one  terrible  drawback  ;  except- 
ing in  the  large  Atlantic  cities,  letters  arc  not  delivered,  but  have  to  bo 
called  for.  Every  business  man  has  iiis  private  pigeon-hole  box  at  the 
Post-office,  in  which  his  letters  are  deposited. 


ti 


i|h 


iH(; 


318 


Mkn  of  tiik  Pacific. 


Coast  is  not  behind  the  times,  and  that  all  the  elements  of 
life,  energy,  and  civilization  are  represented.  An  early 
writer  on  California  told  us  that  "  San  Francisco  exhibited 
an  immense  amount  of  vitality  compressed  into  a  small 
compass,"  and  that  "people  lived  more  there  in  a  week 
than  they  would  in  a  year  in  most  places."  This  is  still 
true.  It  is  a  thoroughly  "live"  place.  But  it  has  still 
better  features.  Nowhere  will  you  find  a  mass  of  more  re- 
liant, hopeful,  kind-hearted,  and  generous  men  than  on  this 
coast:  nearly  all  of  whom  have  at  some  time  "gone 
through  the  mill,"  and  have  come  out  strengthened  by  the 
process;  and  the  writer,  remembering  the  pleasant  days 
spent  among  them,  would  conclude  this  chapter  by  saying, 
from  the  depth  of  his  heart,  and  in  their  own  language, 
"  Long  may  they  wave  I" 


h  r 


m 


t 

m 

m 


9 


ttii' 


li-  f'  ''ii 


Eauly  Opinions  on  Califoi{nia.      319 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

CALIFORNIA  AS   A  FIIOLl)   FUit   IMMIGRATION. 

Early  American  Opinions  of  the  Countiy. — California  Steamers. — Tlie  Pub- 
lic Laiuis. — Extent. — Price. — Labor. — Wages. — The  Wine  Interests. — 
Tal)io  of  Teniperatures. — Vineyards,  etc. — Classes  suitable  for  luiiui- 
grants. — Education. — Schools. — School-ma'ams. — Investments. 

That  California  is  a  desirable  country  wherein  to  dwell, 
no  one  who  has  visited  it  will  be  disposed  to  doubt ;  yet  for 
a  long  period,  even  in  America  itself]  it  was  looked  upon  as 
of  dubious  value.  A  writer  in  one  of  the  leading  San  Fran- 
cisco newspapers,  The  Alta  California^  speaking  of  his  own 
countrymen  last  year,  said,  "  The  greatest  number  of  those 
who  returned  East  {i.  e.,  to  the  Atlantic  States)  from  1849 
to  1855  reported  the  state  as,  in  the  main,  a  barren  desert, 
deluged  with  rain  in  winter,  parched  up  with  heat  in  sum- 
mer and  autumn,  and  wholly  unfitted  by  nature  for  the 
uses  of  the  farmer.  At  that  early  day  such  opinions  were 
common,  and  hardly  to  be  wondered  at,  for  the  farming  ca- 
pabilities of  the  state  had  scarcely  been  tested.  Our  first 
peaches  came  into  the  market  in  1854,  and  the  man  at  that 
time  who  would  have  ventured  the  prediction  that  this 
state  might  excel  any  state  west  of  the  Alleghanies  in  fruits, 
and  any  country  on  the  Continent  in  grapes,  would  have 
been  rated  a  fool ;  for,  four  years  later,  we  still  imported 
the  great  bulk  of  flour,  meal ,  bacon,  butter,  lard,  beans,  etc., 
from  the  States*  or  from  Chili..    Not  that  it  would  not 

*  The  "  States  "  and  the  "  East "  are  terms  which  signify  simply — when 
used  by  Californians — the  Atlantic  States  of  America.  California  is  as 
much  a  state  as  any  other ;   but  as  large  parts  of  its  population  are  from 


.^20       Eahly  Opinions   on  California. 

have  been  profitable  to  produce  these  articles  here,  but  be- 
cause the  vast  majority  of  the  people  did  not  believe  in  the 
capacity  of  the  country  to  produce  them.  Mankind  are 
slow  to  surrender  the  prejudices  and  habits  of  early  life; 
and  if  heaven  itself  were  offered  to  an  Esquimaux,  clad  in 
the  waving  verdure  and  flowery  vestments  which  charmed 
tlie  eye  of  Dante  as  he  gazed  upon  it  from  the  banks  of 
Lethe,  be  would  probably  esteem  it  a  wretched  country 
without  the  regular  complement  of  darkness,  icebergs,  and 
walrus-fat.  The  total  absence  of  rain  from  May  to  Novem- 
ber, and  the  want  of  his  regular  treat  to  thunder  and  light- 
ning every  two  or  three  days,  were  things  altogether 
strange  to  the  Western  farmer,  whose  corn,  and  hemp,  and 
vegetables,  be  thought  could  not  possibly  mature  without 
them. 

"  And  so  it  came  to  pass  that  California  had  more  de- 
tractors than  eulogists  for  the  first  ten  years  after  the  dis- 
covery of  gold.  She.  was  regarded  as  a  very  good  gold 
mine — nothing  better;"  and  that  view  of  the  case  did  not 
assist  in  settling  the  country. 

But  now  things  are  changed.  When  I  left  California 
last  November  (1867),  there  were  three  distinct  lines  of 
steamers  for  New  York :  the  mail  and  opposition  boats 


i" 


1  ) 


New  York  and  the  New  England  States,  they  look  to  them  as  their  old 
home,  and  proudly  call  them  "The  States." 

There  are  a  large  nnmher  also  of  Western  frontier  men  in  the  country 
whose  lives  have  been  spent,  like  that  of  John  Brown,  in  "marching  on." 
Horn,  say  in  Missouri,  they  commenced  life  by  taking  up  land,  clearing  and 
improving  it  for  a  year  or  two,  and  then  selling  it ;  they  then  moved  on  to 
!i  fresher  and  wilder  locality,  repeating  the  process  over  and  over  again,  till 
thev  reached  the  "  Farthest  West "  in  California.  But  civilization  has  no 
charms  for  them,  and  some  of  them  having  perhaps  seen  more  of  it  in  a 
week  in  San  Francisco  than  in  their  whole  lives  before,  and  become  much 
disgusted  thereby,  have  started  back  on  the  return  journey  across  the  conti- 
nent !  But  such  men  as  these  will  make  a  howling  wilderness  smile.  They 
are  the  true  pioneers  of  civilization,  though  they  fly  before  it,  as  does  the 
wild  Indian  before  them. 


I 


Expense  of  Reaching  California.    321 


s  their  old 


{via  Panama),  and  the  old  opposition  {via  Nicaragua).  In 
addition,  there  was  the  regular  stage-line  across  the  conti- 
nent, and  every  one  was  looking  forward  to  the  completion 
of  the  Pacific  Kailroad.  Yet,  with  all  these  facilities  for 
travel,  the  united  population  of  the  States  of  California, 
Oregon,  and  Nevada,  with  the  Territory  of  Washington, 
does  not  yet  number  a  million  souls.  That  number — one- 
third  of  the  population  of  London — is  diffused  over  terri- 
tories larger  than  those  inhabited  by  the  whole  German 
family  of  sixty  millions ! 

The  expense*  of  reaching  California  is,  of  course,  one 
great  hinderance  to  a  rapid  increase  of  its  population.  The 
steam-vessels  on  "  both  sides  "  of  the  Isthmus  of  Panama 
are  of  a  very  superior  class,  and  usually  charge  accordingly. 
It  has  been  proposed  to  employ  a  supplementary  service 
of  screw-steamers  for  immigrants  and  freight.  Should  this 
be  done,  and  the  Panama  Railroad  Company  reduce  its  ex- 
orbitant fare — twenty -five  dollars  (£5)  for  a  distance  of 
forty-seven  miles ! — which  they  charge  every  passenger  of 
whatever  class — California  may  get  the  labor  she  so  much 
needs. 

Last  autumn,  a  number  of  Southerners,  disgusted  with 
politics,  disgusted  with  negro  supremacy  in  places  where 
they  themselves  had  reigned,  wrote  to  the  Mayor  of  San 
Francisco  for  information  about  the  country ;  and  as  the 
answers  returned  were  printed  in  the  Californian  papers,  I 
propose  to  clip  from  them  a  few  items  of  general  interest. 


*  Tins  varies  considerably.  I  have  known  the  price  of  passage  from  San 
Francisco  to  New  York  range  from  75  dollars  (say  £15  lO.s.)  to  300  dollars 
(£61  ID'S.)  for  first-cabin  accommodation.  Owing  to  excessive  competition, 
a  steerage  passage  has  been  as  low  as  35  dollars  (£7  3s.  Gd.),  and  at  that 
rate  was  a  loss  to  the  company.  The  transit  across  the  Isthmus  of  Panama 
is  always  included  in  the  charges.  When  the  Pacific  Railroad  is  completed, 
<he  steamer  fares  will  probably  be  much  reduced.  These  boats  have,  on 
occasions,  carried  2000  passengers,  and  very  frequently  1000  or  1500. 

X 


I 


I,  \ 


:n  ' 


fi':n 


\n{ 


322 


Available  Public  Lands. 


rv 


Tbc  first  qucr}'-  was  this :  "  Are  the  public  lands  entirely 
absorbed  ?"  and  the  answer  (returned  by  the  Imniigratiou 
Society,  to  whom  it  was  referred)  was  as  follows : 

"  No.  There  are  millions  upon  millions  of  acres  yet  in 
the  keeping  of  the  Federal  Government  officers,  which  can 
be  had  for  one  dollar  an  acre  in  gold.  Only  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  the  great  thoroughfares,  the  navigable  rivers, 
the  fragments  of  railways  yet  constructed,  the  mining-camps 
and  the  like,  has  ever  the  Government  surveyor  yet  erect- 
ed his  theodolite.  There  are  plenty  of  good  spots  wliere 
small  colonies  of  immigrants  may  squat  and  await  for  years 
the  coming  of  the  Federal  Government  surveyor;  and  when 
he  shall  come,  the  dollar  an  acre  demanded  by  the  Govern- 
ment will  have  long  before  been  realized  out  of  the  land. 

"  In  the  San  Joaquin  Valley,  sixty  miles  back  from 
Stockton  (a  town  of  about  5000  inhabitants  and  one  night's 
journey  by  steamer  from  San  Francisco),  plenty  of  land  can 
be  got  for  one  dollar  in  gold  per  acre  from  the  Government 
office  in  Stockton.  This  valley  is  about  100  miles  long,  by 
a  width  varying  from  ten  to  thirty  miles,  through  which 
streams  navigable  for  flat-boats  flow  down  to  the  Sacra- 
mento River.  The  soil  is  deep  and  rich,  and  the  bottoms 
near  the  water  are  exceedingly  fertile,  and  able  to  support 
abundance  of  kine.  This  valley  would  absorb  100,000 
settlers." 

The  Sacramento  Valley  also — especially  in  its  upper  por- 
tions near  the  source  of  the  river — is  a  very  promising 
field  for  the  new-comer,  while — 

"  In  the  counties  south  of  San  Francisco — Monterey,  for 
instance,  two  days' journey  by  stage  from  San  Francisco — 
large  tracts  of  the  richest  land,  owned  by  easy-going  people 
of  Spanish  descent,  can  be  purchased  or  rented  upon  very 
advantageous  terms :  purchased  for  a  dollar  or  two  an  acre, 
or  rented  on  shares  for  one-fourth  of  the  annual  produce 


Lower   California. 


32;J 


of  the  land.     The  chief  and  greatest  cost  is  the  expense  of 
fencing. 

"  In  many  places  the  old  Spanish  settlers  own  tracts  of 
thirty  to  fifty  thousand  acres,  unfenccd  and  undivided,  over 
which  numberless  Hocks  of  sheep  and  cattle  roam,  and 
breed,  and  die,  without  control  or  much  care  from  the  pro- 
prietors, who  live  in  rude  ease,  and  almost  secluded  from 
the  outside  world.  Their  slumbers  will  soon  be  broken 
by  the  hum  of  busy  immigrants,  who  will  come  crowding 
by  sea  and  land  into  their  fruitful  territories.  Farther 
south,  toward  Los  Angeles,  the  best  lands  can  be  purchased 
from  those  old-fashioned  settlers  for  a  dollar  an  acre,  or 
even  less.  There  is  very  little  timber  to  be  cleared  from 
any  of  these  lands. 

"  To  go  upon  those  lands,  several  families  should  form 
themselves  into  villages  or  companies,  and  go  out  together 
on  the  land  and  help  each  other.  This  co-operative  system 
is  sure  to  make  the  immigrants  happy  and  prosperous. 

The  second  prominent  question  related  to  the  demand 
for  labor,  and  the  reply  was  so  truthful,  and  at  the  same 
time  so  properly  guarded  from  exaggeration,  that  I  print  it 
as  it  stands : 

"  We  are  full  of  the  great  idea  of  inviting  an  extensive 
immigration  from  Europe,  and  from  the  Southern  and 
Eastern  States,  to  the  Pacific  slope,  but  we  shudder  at  the 
thought  of  misleading  any  one.  It  is  almost  unnecessary 
to  repeat  that  we  have  room  and  work  for  millions  of  peo- 
ple in  our  fields  and  mines,  but  the  great  trouble  is  to  sup- 
port people  while  they  are  finding  the  work  suited  to  their 
strength,  their  habits,  and  their  experience.  The  idea  that 
fills  the  minds  of  many  persons  in  making  toward  Califor- 
nia is,  that  they  shall  go  a  gold-hunting  in  the  mines,  make 
lucky  hits^and  return  at  some  distant  day  to  their  old 
homes  in  Europe  or  the  Atlantic  States  to  enjoy  their  good- 


I 


ii 


sur', 


'  1    ' 


^i: 


324 


Immkjuation. 


fortune.  Tliis  idea  has  been  the  unseen  rock  tli:it  lias 
wrecked  many  an  immigrant  to  this  golden  land.  None 
should  come  to  the  Californian  viinas  but  miners* 

"  On  the  first  discovery  of  gold  in  California,  and  for 
scvend  years  afterward,  every  kind  of  laborer  went  to  the 
mines,  and  many  of  them  did  very  well ;  but  of  late  years 
the  Chinese  have  got  in,  and  have  swarmed  over  the 
'placer'  or  stream  mines;  and  as  they  work  in  well-organ- 
ized companies,  and  live  upon  little,  they  are  able  to  scrape 
a  living  from  the  oft- washed  sands  in  the  older  washing- 
grounds  of  the  earlier  miners.  The  principal  mining  now 
carried  on  in  California  is  quartz-mining,  which  is  as  like 
coal  or  iron  mining  as  possible — penetrating  the  bowels  of 
the  earth  several  hundred  feet — men  working  in  gangs,  in 
'  watches '  of  eight  hours  each  shift,  so  that  the  work  never 
stops,  night  or  day.  For  this  kind  of  work  miners  get  four 
dollars  a  day.  Their  board  and  lodging  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  those  quartz  niincs  comes  high,  about  eight  or  ten 
<lolhLrs  a  week,  as  a  general  rule;  two  and  a  half  days' 
wages  is  required  to  pay  for  a  miner's  board  and  lodging 
for  a  week.  A  great  deal  of  the  work  on  the  Pacific  Hail- 
road  on  our  side  of  the  Eocky  Mountains  is  performed  by 
Chinamen,  under  white  overseers.  They  get  about  a  dol- 
lar a  day  for  their  labor.  White  men  could  get  such 
wages  with  board,  but  they  won't  work  for  it.  A  dollar  a 
day  is  the  lowest  notch  which  the  strong  man's  labor  has 
touched  in  any  part  of  California.  Common  labor,  accord- 
ing to  skill,  ranges  up  to  one  and  a  half  and  two  dollars  a 
day.  We  are  not  now  talking  of  skilled  mechanical  labor, 
such  as  carpenters,  brick-layers,  plasterers,  smitlis,  machin- 
ists, foundery-men,  tailors,  shoe-makers,  and  the  like.     The 


*  A  larpe  nnmber  of  Welsh  and  Cornish  miners  have — from  the  earliest 
(lays  of  Californian  history — settled  in  the  country,  and  are  i*ich  esteemed 
as  practical  men. 


La  no  11 K  us '  W  a  (]  es — P  ko  d  i:  o  k  , 


labor  of  sucli  men  brings  three  to  live,  dollars  a  day  in  all 
the  cities  and  in  all  the  towns  of  tin;  I'aeilic  coast.  As  io 
clerks  and  light  porters,'^'  and  those  who  are  always  waiting 
for  an  easy  berth  or  something  to  '  tnrn  up,'  there  is  little 
encouragement  for  them.  The  cities  are  full  of  them.  This 
kind  of  helpless  people  arc  the  production  of  an  erroneous 
system  of  education,  which  has  weaned  the  boy  from  labor, 
and  left  the  man  a  helpless,  j)itiable  mendicant. 

"  You  are,  doubtless,  impatient  to  learn,  then,  what  sort 
of  people  arc  likely  to  do  well  here,  luid  we  answer,  any 
sort  who  arc  thoroughly  determined  to  work — men  and 
women,  young  and  old. 

"  The  lowest  wages  for  labor  among  us  is  about  twice 
the  wages  of  New  York,  and  four  times  the  wages  obtained 
in  Great  Britain,  Ireland,  or  Germany.  The  price  of  wheat- 
en  flour  is  about  one-half  what  it  is  in  Liverpool  or  New 
York — eight  dollars  a  barrel  of  196  pounds  just  now.  Tea, 
sugar,  and  coffee  about  the  same  as  in  England  or  New 
York.  Clothing  and  house-rent  about  double  the  English 
rates,  and  about  the  same  as  in  New  York.  All  the  fore- 
going rates  arc  in  gold. 

"  The  total  produce  of  our  gold  and  silver  mines  may 
be  set  at  fifty  to  sixty  millions  of  dollars  a  year.  Our. 
farming  and  general  agricultural  products  will  very  soon, 
if  they  do  not  now,  foot  up  to  fifty  million  dollars'  wortlr  a 
year.  The  value  of  the  wheat  and  flour  shipped  from  Cali- 
fornia since  last  harvest  comes  up  to  nine  million  dollars; 
and  as  fast  as  good  ships  come  into  the  harbor  they  are  en- 
gaged to  take  out  wheat  and  flour,  wool,  hides,  etc.  The 
general  demand  for  all  sorts  of  mechanics  in  this  city  and 
throughout  the  state  was  never  better.     The  wages,  as  we 


*  "Light  porter"  is  a  term  often  used  in  California  to  designate  one 
who  prefers  an  easy,  half-lazy  employment  to  more  manly  pursuits.  It  is 
not  generally  used  in  a  very  flattering  sense. 


m 


it  '■!>>■ 


fif' 


*.i 


326 


Wine  Intekests — Tempekatuke. 


have  said,  range,  lor  Cbinamcn,  one  dollar  a  day  ;  common 
laborers,  two  dollars  a  day ;  skilled  mechanics,  three  to  four 
dollars  a  day;  some  of  superior  skill,  five  dollars  a  day; 
female  servants,  fifteen  to  twenty-five  dollars  a  month, 
and  board ;  farm  laborers,  thirty  dollars  a  month,  and 
board.''* 

The  wine  interests,  destined  to  become  one  of  the  most 
profitable  pursuits,  are  at  the  present  time  beset  by  serious 
obstacles,  from  the  high  price  of  labor,  materials,  and  espe- 
cially of  casks ;  but  the  climate,  soil,  and  enterprise  are 
there,  and  success  is  certain. 

There  are  considerable  variations  between  the  mean  tem- 
peratures of  places  in  the  country  (and  this,  of  course,  af- 
fects the  variety  of  grape  most  in  vogue  in  each  locality ;  a 
table  of  such  temperatures  i  nere  givenf  (extracted  from  a 
recent  number  of  The  Alta  California,  and  including  some 

*  For  precise  and  reliable  information  jii  the  country,  the  reader  is  refer- 
red to  Ilittcll's  "Kesourccs  of  California,"  and  Cronise's  "Natural  Wealth 
of  California."  These  works,  the  latter  of  which  is  a  very  recent  production, 
are  both  published  in  San  Francisco,  but  can  be  obtained  in  London. 

t  Table  of  Tkjiperatures. 


t- 

ti 

a! 

>> 

a 

tt 

bi 

w 

M 

P3 

< 

^ 

f2 

s 

K 

»- 

e: 

B 

DiBTBIOTS. 

1 

< 

< 

65 

IS 

a 

t 

< 

1 

1-5 

Uk 

S 

< 

'^ 

i-s 

>-i 

< 
72 

cc 

-A 

Q 

< 

52 

Dijon 

33 

3ti 

48 

51 

60 

6() 

70 

62 

53 

4U 

35 

Udrdi'RUX 

41 

45 

51 

56 

60 

60 

73 

73 

67 

58 

-i^ 

43 

57 

Mtir.-ioilles 

43 

45 

48 

56 

63 

71 

75 

71 

OS 

58 

5(1 

47 

58 

Madeira 

(50 

60 

62 

63 

64 

67 

70 

72 

71 

67 

64 

(iO 

65 

fLos  Angeles 

52 

55 

58 

J  , 

.. 

73 

75 

75 

75 

69 

59 

60 

,  , 

Sivn  Dit'go 

51 

53 

5(! 

61 

62 

67 

''^ 

73 

70 

65 

66 

51 

62 

Monterey 

52 

50 

51 

53 

56 

57 

58 

59 

59 

58 

54 

50 

55 

< 

San  Francisco. .. 

40 

51 

52 

55 

55 

56 

57 

57 

58 

57 

54 

51 

54 

S5 

Hnmboldt  Bay.. 

40 

43 

47 

M 

5^> 

58 

56 

57 

57 

63 

48 

45 

57 

Fort  Yuma 

56 

58 

60 

73 

76 

87 

92 

90 

86 

76 

64 

55 

73 

< 

Fort  Miller 

47 

53 

56 

62 

68 

83 

90 

83 

76 

67 

55 

48 

66 

Sacramento 

45 

48 

51 

59 

67 

71 

73 

73 

66 

64 

52 

45 

59 

o 

(Jrasa  Valley  . ... 

27 

37 

38 

44 

49 

53 

63 

5S 

53 

53 

43 

36 

46 

Sonoma  

45 

47 

51 

53 

62 

71 

66 

66 

67 

66 

58 

46 

58 

1 

^Meadow  Valley. 

34 

32 

41 

•• 

6t 

66 

71 

63 

57 

52 

44 

32 

VlNEVAKl)    CL'LTL'RK. 


82: 


=1 

[>: 

K 

es 

0 

S 

•<; 

01 

M 

c 

H 

u 

> 

Q 

-s! 

35 

52 

13 

57 

47 

5S 

1>I) 

05 

SO 

51 

62 

50 

55 

>1 

54 

15 

57 

i5 

73 

ts 

<iO 

$5 

59 

?C 

4C 

iC. 

58 

J'2 

1 

European  districts  for  comparison).  Tlie  figures  rc])rcscnt 
the  niean  monthly  heat  in  degrees  of  Fahrenheit  (without 
fractions). 

This  table  includes  places  which  represent  the  farthest 
extremes  of  the  state.  The  observations  on  Sonoma  tem- 
peratures were  taken  by  my  friend  Major  Snyder,  wlio  has 
one  of  the  most  highly-cultivated  vineyards  in  the  country. 
There,  and  at  the  vineyard  of  a  second  friend,  Mr.  Craig, 
where  I  have  passed  many  pleasant  days,  and  at  others  in 
the  same  beautiful  valley,  I  have  had  an  opportunity  of 
witnessing  the  culture  of  the  grape  under  favorable  circum- 
stances. Mr.  Craig,  besides  capital  white  and  red  wines, 
has  succeeded  in  making  some  of  the  best  grape  brandy  in 
the  state ;  while  Major  Snyder's  wines,  some  of  them  four 
and  five  years  old,  closely  resembled  high-class  Burgundy 
and  Rhine  wines.*  It  would  astonish  those  who  look  upon 
Caliiornia  as  not  yet  "  of  age  " — which,  in  fact,  she  hardly 
is — to  see  the  wine-presses  of  scientific  construction,  the 
wine-houses  and  cellars  of  Sonoma  and  Los  Angeles.  Most 
of  the  vineyards  in  Sonoma  were  in  the  valley,  but  the  hill- 
sides will  sooner  or  later  be  utilized ;  the  vines  of  all  va- 
rieties, and  mainly  European,  were  all  dwarfed,  staked,  and 
kept  carefully  pruned. 

Los  Angeles  (Pueblo  de  los  Angeles),  "  the  Abode  of  the 
Angels,"  is  also  the  abode  of  a  large  nun-ber  of  wine-grow- 
ers, who,  if  not  angels,  are  at  least  jolly  fellows !  It  is  situ- 
ated on  the  southern  coast,  and  the  county  yields  the  larg- 
est returns  of  wine;  Sonoma  standing  second,  and  Santa 
Clara  County  third.  It  is  much  warmer,  as  our  table 
shows,  than  Sonoma,  and  the  most  delicate  and  tender 
grapes  ripen  there  to  perfection.     The  native  American 

*  Timo  Viiis  worked  wonders.  "Wilkes,  in  IS-tl,  "found  the  wines  of  the 
country  miserable  stuff,  which  would  scarcely  be  taken  for  the  juice  of  the 
grape. " 


f 


m 

ri  > 


•I  "  I ' 

1,3  '  ■  ■■  I 


- 1 

-■  i 

III 


328 


Immigrants  Desired. 


gra{)('s  (Delaware,  Clinton,  Perkins,  King,  etc.,  all  liardy 
varielies)  arc  not  much  prized  in  California,  but  in  one  or 
two  counties  the  Catawba  is  a  great  favorite.  The  Musca- 
tclle,  Isabella,  and  Mission  grapes  are  the  commonest  va- 
rieties grown  in  large  quantities.  The  grape-vines  when 
five  years  old  yield  plenteously.  I  have  before  me  a  story 
of  a  vine  of  the  Isabella  variety,  which  in  its  fourth  year 
bore  1500  bunches,  weighing  420  lbs.  The  "  wonderful 
gooseberry  "  of  periodical  recurrence  must  evidently  hide 
its  diminished  head,  or  burst  with  rage  !'* 

Hops  and  tobacco  arc  now  raised  in  fair  quantities,  while 
experiments  have  been  made  in  the  culture  of  cotton,  and 
the  rearing  of  silk-worms. 

As  I  have  before  stated,  immigrants  arc  much  desired 
in  California,  and  the  question  naturally  arises  which  classes 
of  our  population  might  most  profitably  venture  there. 
First  and  foremost  stands  the  farmer.  Farming  in  En- 
gland— though  not  quite  so  unprofitable  as  some  grumblers 
would  have  us  believe — is,  to  the  small  tenant  at  least,  no 
very  paying  pursuit.  Our  small  farmers,  if  possessed  of  a 
little  ca{)ital  to  start  with,  would  soon  rise  to  competence  in 
California.  Next  comes  the  man  with  a  definite  profession, 
business,  or  trade ;  especially  the  skilled  mechanic,  who  is 
safe  anywhere  on  the  Pacific  coasts,  and  specially  so  in 
California  or  Oregon;  and,  lastly,  the  laborer,  and  female 
servant,  who  are  perfectly  sure  of  remunerative  employ- 
ment.    Young  men  brought  up  in  idleness,  men  of  no  defi- 

*  Hittell  tells  us,  in  his  "Resources  of  California,"  that  in  1765  '•Sen- 
era  Domiiigucz,  a  native  of  Mexico,  and  a  resident  of  Santa  Barbara  Coun- 
ty, rode  from  Monterey  to  her  home,  and,  before  starting,  she  picked  up  a 
grape-cutting  for  a  switch.  When  she  had  ridden  twenty  miles,  she  saw 
that  her  switch  was  budding;  she  took  care  of  it,  and  after  getting  to  her 
house  at  Montecito,  planted  it  in  the  garden.  The  vine  grew,  and  now  its 
trunk  is  IG  inches  in  diameter,  and  its  branches  are  supported  by  an  arbor 
114  feet  long  and  78  feet  wide.  Its  annual  yield  of  grapes  is  three  or  four 
tons." 


Politics — Education. 


329 


"Sen- 

Coun- 
d  up  a 
he  saw 

to  her 
now  its 

arbor 
or  four 


nite  profession  or  business,  petty  clerks,  counter-jumpers,' 
and  the  devotees  of  "genteel"  callings,  had  better  stay 
where  they  are.  California  is  no  home  for  them,  unless 
they  mean  to  mend  their  ways.  The  market  even  there  is 
overstocked  with  such  persons. 

Although  California  was  a  loyal  state  during  the  late 
civil  war  in  America,  there  is  much  liberality  of  sentiment 
there,  and  politics  do  not  run  as  high  as  in  the  Atlantic 
States.  The  Englishman*  will  find  numbers  of  his  coun- 
trymen, and  there  is  no  reason  why  he  should  not  venture 
there.  If  he  goes,  he  will  assuredly  never  reproach  the 
writer  for  his  recommendation. 

In  the  matter  of  education — one  of  so  much  importance 
to  the  man  who  brings  a  family  with  him — California  is  by 
no  means  behind  the  rest  of  the  country,  and  the  United 
States  may  fairly  boast  of  her  school  system.  In  addition 
to  any  number  of  private  schools  and  colleges,  the  public 
free  schools  are  of  the  most  efficient  kind,  and  in  them  the 
children  of  well-to-do  citizens,  as  well  as  those  of  a  lower 
grade,  are  frequently  to  be  found,  side  by  side.  '^  he  Lin- 
coln school-house  in  San  Francisco,  which  accommodates 
1000  scholars,  is  a  building  which  would  attract  notice  any- 
where, and  9000  children  attend  the  public  schools  of  that 
city.  They  are  instructed  by  a  corps  of  180  teachers,  male 
and  female,  the  larger  part  of  whom  hail  from  Boston,  the 
centre — in  the  United  States — of  culture,  refinement  and 
education.     To  the  other  features  of  their  school  system  is 

*  With  repard  to  the  wine  manufacture  and  the  culture  of  the  vine,  it  is 
obvious  that  foreigners  from  the  wine  districts  of  the  Continent — from  small 
proprietors  to  peasants — would  each  and  all  be  specially  welcomed,  and 
could  very  readily  find  remunerative  employment  in  the  vineyards  of  Cali- 
fornia, and,  sooner  or  later,  become  proprietors  themselves.  If  they  go  with 
a  reasonable  amount  of  capital,  they  can  become  such  at  once.  Already 
there  are  many  intelligent  Germans,  Frenchmen,  and  Hungarians,  but  the 
labor  employed  is  mainly  Chinese.  Men  capable  of  superintending  vine- 
yards are  much  desired. 


w 


i 


I 


Ih 


m\^ 


■^■■^l 

:?:ii 


mi ' 


'Sciiool-Ma'ams" — Investments. 


added  that  of  furnishing  a  tolerably  well  paid  employment  to 
a  large  number  of  young  woir  >n.  The  "sehool-ma'ams" — 
as  they  are  popularly  known — arc  usually  certilieated,  high- 
ly-educated young  ladies,  who  in  the  cities  teach  the  younger 
children,  but  in  the  country  sometimes  take  complete  charge 
of  a  school,  and  often  prove  mo  re  successful  than  the  rough- 
er sex.  But  it  is  hard  work,  as  the  jaded,  fagged-out  looks 
of  some  of  these  ladies  prove  ;  and  I  always  njoiced  when 
I  heard  of  the  transformation  of  a  "  school-ma'am  "  to  wife 
— not  a  very  uncommon  proceeding !  In  justice  to  Califor- 
nia, it  should  be  stated  that  these  well-informed,  sensible 
— occasionally  a  little  "  blue  " — but  often  very  atti'active 
young  ladies,  are  at  a  premium.  I  have  no  doubt  that  such 
would  be  equally  so  here  in  England  if  we  bad  a  similar 
system,  and  that  the  "  girl  of  the  period" — if  she  is  indeed 
a  flxct — would  be  completely  cut  out. 

With  regard  to  the  investment  of  capital  in  San  Francisco, 
the  central  portions  of  the  city  are  now  extremely  valuable. 
Still  any  new-comer  can  readily  acquire  a  "  lot "  in  the 
suburbs.  Many  building  and  land  associations — like  those 
of  our  own  country — exist.  The  usual  price  of  an  ordina- 
ry plot  of  land  for  building  purposes  (in  the  outskirts  of  the 
city)  is  from  two  to  three  hundred  dollars  (about  £40  to 
£60).* 

The  water-frontage  of  San  Francisco  does  not  exceed 
nine  miles  in  length,  and  is,  of  course,  very  valuable,  and 
likely  to  become  infinitely  more  so,  San  Franciscans,  who 
believe  that  their  city  will — as  the  best  port  on  the  coast, 
and  the  virtual  centre  of  commerce  and  manufactures — rival 

*  No  respectable  man  will  find  any  difficulty  in  getting  a  house  put  up 
for  him  by  the  societies  above  mentioned,  to  be  paid  for  by  monthly  install- 
ments, little  exceeding  the  ordinary  rent  of  a  similar  dwelling.  General  ex- 
]ienses  are  rather  high  in  San  Francisco,  and  the  rents  of  ordinary  cottages 
or  villas  in  the  suburbs  will  average  twice  those  of  such  buildings  in  the  out- 
skirts uf  London. 


(I 


Investments. 


831 


New  York,  wish  that  the  watur-fVont  were  hirgcr.  IJiul, 
however,  as  is  the  site  in  some  respects,  there  is  no  better  on 
the  bay,  and  therefore  the  growth  of  the  city  must  undoubt- 
edly follow  its  present  course,  and  those  who  can  alfonl  to 
invest  in  outside  property,  and  wait  ten  or  lifteen  years, 
will  most  assuredly  reap  a  rich  reward.  One  of  the  finest 
sites  in  San  Francisco  was  purchased  in  the  early  days  b}- 
a  sailor  who  left  the  coast  for  years,  and  who  turned  up  one 
tine  day  to  find  himself — much  to  his  own  surprise — a 
wealthy  man.  The  sand-heup  he  is  said  to  have  bought  in 
a  drunken  frolic,  and  which  next  morning  he  probably 
thought  was  a  worthless  bargain,  is  now  in  the  very  heart 
of  the  city,  covered  with  handsome  buildings,  enclosing  a 
public  "  Plaza,"  with  shrubbery,  etc.  The  value  of  proper- 
ty in  New  York  has  constantly  douMed  and  red')ubled 
during  the  last  thirty  years,  and,  in  spite  of  all  unbelievers 
— and  there  are  croakers  even  in  California — th?.t  pf  San 
Francisco  will  do  the  same. 

The  timid  and  doubting  in  such  matters  may  advanta- 
geously read  the  following  New  York  anecdote,  which  I  re- 
cently clipped  from  an  American  paper: 

"  A  lot  on  Broadway,  25  by  100  (feet),  and  well  up  town, 
had  been  sold  for  one  hundred  thousand  dollars.  Several 
prudent,  well-to-do  citizens,  were  discussing  the  purchase, 
and,  of  course,  were  certain  that  the  price  was  greatly  above 
the  value,  and  that  the  purchaser  and  his  money  had  part- 
ed company  forever.  .\n  elderly  gentleman  sitting  by 
waited  until  all  had  expressed  their  opinions,  and  then  qui- 
etly said,  "  I  have  known  that  lot  ever  since  it  was  farming- 
land.  When  first  sold  as  a  lot,  it  brought  three  hundred 
dollars.  As  the  city  grew,  it  changed  hands  many  times, 
and  brought  two  thousand,  ten  thousand,  thirty  thousand, 
sixty  thousand,  and  now  one  hundred  thousand  dollars,  and 
every  time  the  buyer  has  been  called  a  fool !" 


J:' 


'•',,'   ■ 

i  V 

III 

302 


C  O  N  C  L  U  S  I  C)  N . 


T  trust  that  these  pagoH  will  have  proved  that  California, 
and  the  Pucilic  coast  generally,  allbrd  a  wide  and  a  fresii 
lield  to  the  scientific  man,  the  artist,  and  traveller,  as  well  as 
to  the  ciipitalist,  the  agriculturist,  and  the  emigrant.  When 
London  is  within  sixteen  days,  and  New  York  within  a 
week's  travel  of  San  1^'rancisco — as  they  will  be  on  the 
completion  of  the  I'acilic  llailroad — we  may  reasonablv 
hope  to  see  the  coast  become  as  well  known  as  it  certainly 
deserves  to  be.* 

♦  Baynrd  Tnylor  states,  in  his  recent  work  on  "  Colorado,"  that  the  Pa- 
cific Kiiilroiid  track  is  bein}»  in  some  places  extended  at  tlio  rate  of  a  milo 
and  a  iialf  a  day.  "  Koccntly,"  says  lie,  "  Two  miles  and  seventeen  liundrrU 
feet  were  laid  in  a  single  day — the  greatest  feat  of  the  kind  in  tlie  history  of 
railroad-building. 


ii: 


m 


;l 


N  1  i 


APPENDIX. 


I.— THE   PROPOSED  OVERLAND  ROUTE  FROM  THE  ATLAN- 
TIC TO  THE  PACIFIC,  THROUGH  BRITISH  TERRITORY. 

Mr.  Wai)I)I\(JTon's  schcinc  for  a  railway  and  steam-boat 
route  fVoni  (■aiiada  to  British  Columbia,  roccntly  laid  before 
the  Koyal  (feoujr:i]»hical  Society,  etc.,  has  attracted  some  no- 
tice from  the  presH.  I  do  not,  of  course,  })ro|)ose  to  u^o  into 
details  ;  suffice  it  to  say  that  by  following  the  chain  of  the 
great  Canadian  lakes,  the  course  of  the  Saskatchewan  IJiver 
tor  a  distance  of  1249  miles,  and  Fraser  River,  in  liritish  Co- 
lumbia, for  200  or  280  miles,  Mr.  Waddington  would  take  us 
2400  miles  by  water,  out  of  the  3490  from  Montreal  to  the 
head  of  Bute  Inlet  (British  Columbia).  Uy  this  route,  the 
fertile  settlement  of  Ited  River,  now  detached  and  isolated, 
would  be  connected  with  civilization  and  the  outer  world. 

The  project  has  been  branded  as  premature,  and,  judging 
by  our  standard  at  home,  it  is  so.  The  construction  of  a  rail- 
way here  always  presupposes  a  string  of  cities,  towns,  or  vil- 
lages. In  America  it  has  been  often  otherwise ;  the  railway 
has  been  the  forerunner  of  population.  Here  the  comitry 
makes  the  railway;  there  frequently  the  railway  makes  the 
country.  The  Illinois  Central  Railroad,  and  many  others  in 
the  United  States,  furnish  examples.  The  state  through  which 
the  line  passes  concedes  to  the  railway  company  large  tracts 
of  land  at  intervals  on  either  side  of  the  route,  and  the  first 
dividends  are  paid  out  of  the  sale  of  that  very  land,  itself 
much  increased  in  value  by  the  construction  of  the  iron  road. 
Land  only  worth  a  nominal  price,  which  could  be  obtained 
previously  for  a  dollar  an  acre,  suddenly  rises  to  ten  or  twen- 
ty dollars  an  acre,  or  much  more.  Eligible  spots  are  selected 
for  town  sites,  and  a  population  rapidly  sprhigs  up  along  the 


oo-t 


Appendix. 


y   ^Hi 


I  I 


'l! 


3  ' 


line.  Such  roads  are  often  roughly,  too  roughly,  made  :  a 
shigle  pair  of  rails  is  all  that  is  deemed  necessary  ;  no  ex- 
penses are  incurred  with  regard  to  elaborate,  or  even  com- 
modious, stations  and  termini.  But,  as  the  district  improves, 
the  railway  is  sure,  for  its  own  interests,  to  follow  suit. 

Taking  into  cor'ideration  that  the  proposed  line  would 
connect  Canada  with  British  Columbia  and  the  North  Pacific 
— would  pass  through  the  prosperous  and  fast-improving  Re<l 
River  and  Saskatchewan  districts — such  a  project  has  i)oints 
in  its  favor  under  any  circumstances,  and  has  more,  in  the  first 
instance,  to  recommend  it  than  many  a  similar  line  in  the 
United  States. 

In  the  discussini  which  followed  the  reading  of  Mr.  Wad- 
dington's  paper  al.  the  Royal  Geographical  Society's  meeting, 
Dr.  Rae  poinded  out  the  shallowness  of  the  Saskatchewan 
River.  It  would  ill  become  me  to  criticise  the  statements 
of  a  traveller  who  has  seen  as  much,  or  probably  a  great  deal 
more,  of  northernmost  America  than  any  other  man.  Nev- 
ertheless, no  one  who  is  familiar  with  American  river-steam- 
ers would  lay  much  stress  on  this  pohit.  I  have  seen  flat- 
bottomed  stern-  v'heei  steamers  built  to  draw  no  more  than  a 
foot  or  fifteen  in.;li«;s  of  a'.  ater.  On  the  U2)per  Missouri,  on 
the  Columbia  an  1  Fnser  rivers^  such  steamers  are  common. 
I  well  remember,  in  British  Columbia,  passing  through  a 
"  slough,"  as  it  was  called,  at  which  the  passengers  were  ask- 
ed to  walk  from  one  side  of  the  boat  to  the  other  to  assist  it 
in  wriggling  through,  and  where  a  part  of  the  crew  and  pas- 
sengers got  out  into  the  waiter  to  help  it  on,  much  as  we  did 
with  our  rafts  on  the  rivers  of  Vancouver  Island.  There  are 
creeks  in  California  where  something  similar  happens,  and 
where,  if  you  are  on  the  bank  a  little  way  from  the  stream, 
the  steamer  appears  to  be  travelling  on  land.  (On  this  point, 
see  an  engraving  and  descriptive  letterpress  in  ITutchings's 
"  Scenes,  etc.,  in  California.") 

In  a  paper  read  before  the  Royal  Geographical  Society, 
Nov.  25,  18G7,  John  Collinson,  Esq.,  C.  E.,  etc.,  mentioned  in- 
cidentally steamers  drawing,  when  laden,  no  more  than  ten 
inches  of  water. 

With  regard  to  rapids — often  a  worse  obstacle  than  any 
other  ou  the  rivers  of  the  northern  continent  of  America — it 


mi 


Appendix. 


335 


may  yet  safely  bo  stated  that  nearly  all  or  any  of  them  are 
amenable  to  the  intluence  of  a  little  engineeriiiij;  skill.  They 
owe  their  existence,  of  course,  to  either  sunken  rooks,  accumu- 
lations of  drift-wood,  or  sand-bars.  A  few  hundred  i)Ounds  of 
powder  have  often  turned  a  brawling,  dangerous  rapid  into  a 
com[)aratively  quiet  part  of  the  stream.  But  here,  again,  the 
American-built  steamers  of  good  jiower  often  get  over  rapids 
which  seem  almost  impassable.  It  is  not  many  years  .ago 
that  it  was  pronounced  impossible  to  reach  Fort  Yale,  Fra- 
ser  Kiver,  on  account  of  rapids  (at  Emory's  Bar),  and,  in  con- 
sequence, Fort  Hope  was  for  a  long  time  the  head  of  the 
navigation.  This  rapid  is  now  passed  many  times  a  week  in 
both  directions.  A  few  rocks,  etc.,  w^ere  removed  at  a  low 
stage  of  the  water,  and  flat-bottomed  steamers  of  greater 
power  were  constructed  for  the  route.  In  common  with 
most  visitors  to  British  Columbia,  I  have  passed  over  that 
part  of  Fraser  River,  have  seen  the  steamer  stick  for  half  an 
hour  together,  wriggle  from  side  to  side  of  the  stream,  the 
while  all  her  timbers  quivered,  and  every  available  pound  of 
steam  was  "  got  up."  But  art  triumphed  over  nature — at 
the  risk,  perhaps,  of  blowing  us  all  to  destruction — and  we 
"made  the  riffle."  The  excitement  of  the  thing  was  worth 
half  the  money  ! 

To  Mr.  Waddington  belongs  the  credit  of  drawing  atten- 
tion to  a  comparatively  easy  route  across  the  continent ;  and 
although  the  Pacific  Railroad  will  be  buHt  and  finished  while 
this  project  is  being  discussed,  there  is  no  reason  why  we 
should  suppose  that  one  railway  between  the  Atlantic  and 
the  Pacific  would  suffice  for  all  that  vast  country.  JVIost  of 
us  wnll  probably  live  to  hear  of  more  than  one  such  line  in 
the  United  States  ;  and  Canada,  backed  by  England,  ought 
at  once  to  be  uj)  and  moving  in  the  same  direction. 


336 


Appendix. 


•V 


II.— THE  W.  U.  TELEGRAPH  SCHEME. 
(RUSSIAN    AMEKICA.) 

Great  doiibta  were  at  times  tlirown  on  the  practicability 
of  this  project,  and  it  has  for  the  present,  at  least,  been  com- 
pletely superseded  by  the  success  of  the  Atlantic  Cable. 
The  work  proposed  was  virtually  the  same — to  unite  the 
Old  and  New  Worlds.  The  line,  as  proposed,  was  to  extend 
the  already  constructed  Une  in  British  Cohimbia,  northward 
through  liussian  America,  across  Behring  Strait,  and  then 
proceed  southward  through  Eastern  Siberia,  till  a  junction 
should  be  made  with  the  Russian  lines  already  built  to  the 
Amoor.  New  York  being  in  constant  communication  with 
San  Francisco,  and  San  Francisco  with  British  Columbia,  the 
connections  would  have  been  comj)lete. 

I  propose  to  notice  some  of  the  objections  which  have  been 
at  various  times  raised,  but  many  of  which  entirely  disap- 
peared when  our  explorers  had  examined  the  country. 

1st.  "The  difficulty  of  keeping  np  a  line  running  through 
a  more  or  less  Arctic,  thinly  i)opulated,  and  barren  country." 

Already  in  the  United  States  some  of  the  principal  and 
paying  lines  run  through  country  of  doubtful  value  and  thin- 
ly populated.  The  Russians,  moreover,  have  a  great  line 
which  enables  them  to  communicate  from  St.  Petersburg  to 
[rkutsk  and  the  Amoor ;  and  our  proposed  line  hardly  ran 
through  wilder  oi  more  barren  countries  than  those  just 
mentioned.  The  W.  U.  line  was  to  have  followed,  more  or 
less  closely,  the  courses  of  great  rivers  in  many  ])laces ;  hence 
our  explorations  on  the  Fraser,  on  the  Yukon,  on  the  Anadyr. 
Such  rivers  furnish  means  of  rapid  transit  in  summer  (by 
canoe),  and  almost  equally  rapid  transit  in  winter  (by  sledg- 
ing.) Stations  were  to  be  erected  at  moderate  intervals  along 
the  course  of  the  line,  and  there  was  infinitely  less  to  fear 
from  Indian  or  other  native  depredations  in  Alaska  and  East- 


ilil 


Appendix, 


33; 


cm  SilKM'ia,  than  on  tcloinrfipli  routes  wliicli  nw  iilrcmly  open 
in  the  United  St.;.tc'S.  Furtiicrinorc,  it  litis  boon  tbund,  that 
in  linos  pjissinjij  through  an  Alpinu  district,  notably  in  those 
crossing-  the  Sierra  Nevada  IJange  (Calitbrnia,  Neva<la,  etc.), 
the  })ole8,  once  tirndy  planted,  remained  in  better  order  than 
those  crossing  countries  enioving  a  wanner  climate. 

2d.  With  regard  to  the  cable  across  IJehring  Strait,  it  was 
urged  that  icebergs  would  inl'allibly  ground  on  it  and  cut  it 
up.  The  answer  to  this  is  direct :  icebei'gs,  properly  so 
called,  are  never  seen  in  Behring  Sea  or  Strait.  The  jirevail- 
ing  currents  set  strongly  into  the  Arctic  Ocean — not  from  it. 
Floating  ice,  in  deep  packs,  is,  of  course,  abundant  in  the 
early  sunnner;  and  for  this  reason,  Colonel  liulkley,  after  a 
detailed  examination,  selected  for  the  cab!'j  "landings"  the 
<lee})est  and  most  protected  harl)ors  lie  could  discover.  Port 
Clarence  was  selected  for  the  American  side..  It  has  a  good 
entrance,  ten  fathoms  of  water,  and  a  mud  bottom.  On  the 
Asiatic  side,  Pentigu  Gulf  (or  Aboleschef  Hay),  Seniavine 
Straits,  was  selected,  for  similar  advantages.  St.  Lawrence 
and  Mechigme  Bay  were  considered  too  exposed. 

A  part  of  the  numerous  soundings,  taken  by  members  of 
our  expedition  in  Behring  Sea,  have  been  already  recorded 
on  page  110.  The  moderate  depth  of  the  whole  sea,  and  its 
soft  bottom,  seem  points  in  favor  of  the  proposed  cable  cross- 


ing. 


A  late  Victoria  (V.  I.)  new^spaper  states  that  the  telegraph 
line  already  constructed  from  New  Westminster  to  the  town 
at  the  mouth  of  Quesnelle  River  (which  was  the  first  section 
of  our  overland  telegraph)  is  to  be  extended  to  Cariboo. 
Those  inaccessible  mines,  which  seemed,  a  few  years  ago,  as 
isolated  from  civilization  as  is  Spitzbergen,  will  then  be  in 
direct  communication  with  San  Francisco,  New  York,  v.nd 
Europe. 

The  real  obstacle  in  the  way  of  our  enterprise,  especially 
in  British  Columbia  and  the  larger  j)art  of  Alaska,  was  the  ex- 
istence of  densely-timbered  ground,  where,  in  wintry  storms, 
or  by  the  processes  of  natural  decay,  the  trees  might  be  ex- 
pected to  fall  on  the  telegraph  line.  To  obviate  this,  it  be- 
came necessary  to  clear  a  wide  "  track  "  on  either  side  of  the 


f  1 
•  i 


338 


A  I'l'KN  DIX. 


line — a  work  npcossarily  of  some  exj)eiise.  P)Ut  no  part  of 
the  proposi'd  line  jiassed  throui^h  a  worse  country,  in  tliat 
respect,  than  the  first  portion  already  constructed  to  the 
mouth  of  (^uesnelle ;  and,  as  it  lias  been  since  kept  in  good 
working  order,  tlie  objection  is  not  a  fatal  one. 

It  has  been  proposed  to  extend  the  same  line  to  Sitka. 


'f  i  !  '  ' 


III.— NOTES  ON  SITKA. 

LiSTAxsKT,  Kotzebue,  and  Sir  George  Simpson  are  tiie  only 
authorities  on  Sitka  which  we  possess.  Mr.  Robert  Brown 
of  Eduiburgh,  kindly  informs  me  that  the  flora  of  Sitka  wa. 
<iescribed  by  liongard  (in  the  "  Memoires  de  I'Academie,  etc., 
de  St.  Petersbourg,"  and  aiso  in  a  separate  work),  but  the 
country  generally  has  not  been  overdone  by  travellers. 

Until  last  year  (1867),  Sitka  was  an  inaccessible  place,  and 
there  Avere  no  regular  means  of  communication  from  any 
point.  Now  all  this  is  changed;  steamers,  touching  at  Van- 
couver Island,  ply  between  San  Francisco  and  Sitka  once  oi* 
twice  a  month.  In  summer  this  trij)  is  likely  to  be  a  pleas- 
ant one  ;  late  in  the  autumn  it  may  sometimes  be  very  much 
the  reverse.  Tlie  distance  from  San  Francisco  is  (approxi- 
mately) 1500  miles. 

Sitka,  itself  built  on  an  island,  has  no  roads  whatever  from 
it,  and  the  traveller  must,  therefore,  thread  the  forests  as  we 
did  on  Vancouver  Island,  charter  a  canoe  for  trips  in  the  im- 
mediate neighborlwod,  or  take  his  own  yacht  or  other  vessel. 
At  irregular  periods  there  will,  doubtless,  be  facilities  for 
communication  with  the  northern  coast,  the  Aleutian  Islands, 
etc.  For  these  points,  however,  San  Francisco,  California, 
and  Honolulu,  in  the  Sandwich  Islands,  are  the  best  starting- 
])oints.  The  whalers  and  traders  almost  invariably  leave 
those  ports  for  the  north  in  the  early  spring. 


ArrENDix. 


339 


IV.— PORT  CLARENCE,  NORTHERN  ALASKA. 

Pout  Clarexce  and  (Inintloy  Jliirbor  (an  inner  basin) 
wore  first  ex])l<)re(l  and  named  by  C'aj)tain  IJeecliey  in  1S27. 
Point  Spencer,  the  extre  .  ity  of  a  long  sj>it,  wiiicli  slinls  it  in, 
was  determined  by  him  to  be  in  lat.  (i5°  10'  40"  N.,  ionu'. 
100^  47' 50"  W.  Tt  was  frequently  visited  (hiring  the  searcli 
for  Hir  Jolni  Franklin.  II.  M.  S.  "Plover"  (Captain  ISIc.ore) 
wintered  there  in  1851-2,  and  II.  M.  S.  "Rattlesnake"  (Com- 
mander Trollo])e)  in  1 H5I3-4.  See  the  numerous  "  Blue-books" 
on  vVrctic  Ex})lorations,  etc. 

During  the  whiter  of  lSGG-7  and  following  summer,  Caj)- 
tain  Libby,  of  our  telegraph  service,  with  nearly  forty  men, 
stopped  at  this  inaccessible  place.  At  Grantley  IIarbor„a 
good  station,  and  other  houses  (which  have  been  left  there), 
and  portions  of  the  telegraj)h  line,  were  built  by  these  men. 
It  Avas,  as  before  stated,  the  spot  intended  for  the  Beh ring- 
Strait  cable  "  landing"  on  the  American  side,  and  it  lias  been 
alread}''  mentioned  as  the  central  point  at  which  the  natives 
of  Kotzebue  and  Norton  Sounds,  an<l  the  neighboring  coun- 
try, meet  the  Tchuktchis  from  the  Siberian  coast.  Many 
whalers  annually  visit  this  harbor  for  trading  })urposes,  and 
I  expect  to  hear  of  a  permanent  white  settlement  being 
formed  there.  The  experience  of  the  earlier  Arctic  ex])lorers, 
as  of  our  telegraph  men,  shows  that  it  is  a  good  s-pot  to  win- 
ter in.  Some  of  our  men  there,  at  one  time  very  short  ol' 
provisions,  lived  for  months  at  an  Indian  village  near  Cape 
Prince  of  Wsles.  Supplies  from  the  resources  of  tlie  country 
were  very  uncertain.  In  18GG-7,  the  natives  hi  the  neigh- 
borhood were  almost  starving,  and  were  at  one  time  reduced 
'  boiling  down  their  old  boots  and  fragments  of  hide,  in 
order  to  sustain  life.  "  Yet,"  said  a  correspondent  (a  member 
of  our  expedition),  writing  from  thence,  "  the  i)arty  under 
Captain  Libby,  although  without  bread  or  flour  for  some 
weeks,  escaped  the  scurvy  entirely.     The  generally-received 


840 


Appendix. 


opinion  tJiat  scurvy  is  generated  from  want  of  flour  does 
not  seem  to  be  correct.  At  tlie  station  (Fort  St.  Michaers), 
wliere  plenty  of  flour  was  received,  and  trecly  used,  they 
were  afflicted  with  this  disease ;  while  at  Port  Clarence, 
where  they  were  almost  entirely  dependent  upon  the  re- 
sources of  the  country  for  some  weeks,  living  upon  walrus 
and  seal  meat,  without  flour  or  bi'ead,  no  symptom  of  bcurvy 
made  its  appearance. 

Very  severe  snow-storms,  called  "  poorgas,"  swept  across 
the  open  and  l.^arren  country  at  times  during  winter;  but, 
nevertheless,  oui  men  persevered,  in  what  eventually  i)roved 
a  thankless  task.  They  were  often  camped  out  at  tempera- 
tures below  the  freezing  of  mercury.  At  the  station,  among 
other  devices  for  passing  the  long  winter  evenings,  our  men 
concocted  a  MS.  newspaper,  which  was  entitled  2Vie  Esqui- 
maux. Tliis  Avas  afterward  printed  in  San  Francisco,  as 
memento  of  the  expedition. 


IS   ,", 


ifA^ 


!   ' 


,' 


Appendix. 


341 


ir  docs 

aiac-rs), 

d,  they 
liirence, 
the  re- 
walrus 
'  scurvy 

t  across 
3r;  but, 
proved 
emijcra- 
,  among 
Dur  men 
<i  Esqui- 
ICO,  as  iv 


v.— INDIAN  DIALECTS  OF  NORTHERN  ALASKA  (LATE 
RUSSIAN  AMERICA). 


MALEMUTE     VOCABULARY. 

Words  from  the  dialect  of  the  Malemutcs,  Norton  Sound,  Northern 
Alaska. — Wiiympkk. 


I ..,,, Wounga, 

He Oona. 

We.., Wurgut. 

You Itlepit. 

Man Inuet. 

Woman Achanuk. 

Child Kakooshka. 

Brother Ungarunga. 

Sister Nooga. 

Dav Oblook  (see   also 

Sleep). 

Night....; Niptiga. 

Morning Oblaam. 

Noon Kolwachtook. 

Eveninf^ Nakekiluskuk. 

Month (See  Moon.) 

Sun Sickunyuk. 

Moon Tachkut. 

Star....  =  , Obloat. 

Land Noona. 

Water Imuk. 

Sea Tagaiuk. 

Lake Nasuuk. 

River Coke. 

Snow Kanik. 

Ice Seko. 

Rain Ebwinuktuk. 

Head Neakuk. 

Face Keeny\jk. 

Mouth Kanuk. 

Teeth Keeutik. 

Arm Talik. 

Leg Neeyu. 


Hand 

Window 

House 

Wood 

Canoe,  Ship 

Knife 

Spoon 

Cup 

Pot 

Tree 

Gun 

Powder 

Caps  (percussion). 

Bullet 

Shot 

Skin  coat 

Skin  trowsers 

Skin  boots 

Skin  cap 

Skin  gloves,  or 

mitts 

Hay 

Rope 

Chief 

Pipe 

Tobacco 

Needle 

Thread 

Bag 

Dance 

Sleep 


Ashigitfi. 

Egalock. 

Topek. 

Kushuk. 

Omeuk-puk. 

Chowik. 

Athrotik. 

Culoot. 

Klipseen. 

Napaktuk. 

Shupon. 

Agara. 

Cabiloo.  . 

Cagarook. 

Cagariya. 

Atigee. 

Nellikak. 

Camook. 

Nasota. 

Akatook. 

Ewock,  Penikiruk. 

Akloonuk. 

Amaloek.    . 

Qucenuk. 

Tabac. 

Mitkin. 

Evakjot. 

Powuskuk. 

Poolaruk. 

Shineek  (used  to 
count  time.  So 
many  "sleeps"). 


U2 


Appendix. 


I»,v^ 


m 


liii'/ 


Mrciul Kaknnk. 

Fish I'<kiuli('tlilook. 

Mini Kkiisliikii. 

(ReimU'cr)  niuat...  Najj;ii. 

Siijj;iir Kiipsitnak. 

Whisky Tamik. 

Herries Aslioiik. 

(Jrcasc Ookarook. 

lioavor I'alouktuk. 

Sal)lc  (marten) Kavaitchiik. 

Mink Tai^iakpuk. 

Boar Aoutkliiit. 

Squirrel C'hikirik. 

lioimlcer Toontook. 

l)<)j:f Camukter. 

Miisqiiito Ktcktagiuck. 

Whale Akiwik, 

Seal ( )()narook. 

Walrus Aiwik. 

Wolf Atuaouk. 

Yes Waa. 

No,  Not Poechiik. 

Bi^ iruKiilooruk. 

Little Mikidooruk. 

Few F^kecktuk. 

Plenty Ainalacktook. 

Good Nakuruk. 

Bad Ashuruk. 

Quick Kc'liimuk. 

Slow Sikichuk. 

Cold ^.  AUopar. 

Hot Allopar    pcechuk 

(not  cold). 

Crooked Chakoonaruk. 

Straight Nalooruk. 

What Schuman. 

Where Nami. 

Here Maui. 

Now Puckmummi. 


By-and-hy Atachta. 

Who Kcena. 

How  much? ('apsenik. 

Don't  know Ki-yunic. 

Come  here Cakinee. 

Go  away Ainieo. 

(lo  on  a  Journey...  Alaclituk. 

Work (-luiwitka. 

See Touktook. 

(Jive Aiehilun^er. 

May Ktauchsik. 

Sell Keepuch ulv 

Laugh Kaelikuktiik. 

Talk Ocaktuk. 

Tell Kanuektuk. 

Bring Taishke, 

Kill.. Tiikootka. 

Shoot Slioopega. 

Understand Tookshiruk. 

Steal Tigaliktook. 

How    much     for 

that? Chimuk. 

Thank  you Koyana. 


NUMKUALS. 

1 Atousik. 

2 Ipar. 

3 Peeniuk. 

4 Seotimat. 

5 Talimanuk. 

G F^chukcrit. 

7 INfalounik  shepnelik. 

8 Peoneshcruk  shepnelik. 

9 Kolingncotilik. 

10 Kolit. 

11 10  and  1  do.,  etc. 

20 Enuenuk. 


Al'l'E^DlX. 


34a 


CO-YUKON    VOCARTTLARY. 

Words /fom  the  Co-yukon  dialcrt,  NjioLcn  {irilh  .s/ifjht  vnrhuions)  on  the  Yukon 
River  J'or  at  least  oOO  inilrs  of  its  lower  and  middle  course.  {Inytltte,  a 
varietif  of  same  dialect.) — WliYMl'Elt. 


Good  Spirit Kiiimckcrtoltui. 

IJjul  Spirit Tclieklukcr. 

1 SC. 

Thou NC. 

He E(;osHee. 

We Seyor. 

You Sho. 

They Nun. 

Man Tenuirj. 

Woman Salturn. 

Child Tcnaiyusa. 

Brother Skitla. 

Sister Studsa. 

Head Se  woiycr. 

Faee Scnun. 

Forehead Sckata. 

Eye So  noga. 

Ear Se  tsa. 

Nose Se  nee. 

Mouth S'alotte. 

Tongue S'acloula. 

Tooth S'uwyer. 

Neck S'ukugl. 

Arm Sekaner. 

Hand Se  lur. 

Body S'kotit. 

Leg Sowool. 

Foot vSe  ka. 

Bone K'lun. 

Heart Se  naiyitz 

Chief Kooka. 

House Konaugh 

Village Zadlecle. 

Canoe Metaui. 

Paddle Tauloi. 

Bow Klintun. 

Arrow K'au. 


Gun Eltudla. 

Caps  (percussion)..  Ouiinkadadoi. 

I'ow'dcr Kail  kcon. 

Bullet Kiiiitla. 

Shot Koon. 

Knife Kakikltaun. 

l'il)o Konijuk. 

Tohacco Tabae .       Tacoua 

(fire). 

Coat Taiak. 

Trowsers Katchee. 

Slices Kakatauch. 

Cap Kakadalaion. 

Kettle Oclock. 

Axe Mukalklalla. 

Flour Klatsmitze. 

Fire Tacona.    Kletcle. 

Water Too. 

lee ;....  T'un. 

Snow Nootaga. 

Sun S'o. 

Moon TaltoUa. 

Star K'lune. 

Day K'lut. 

Night K'liltahl. 

Morning Kadamatona. 

Evening ;..,....  Lalaatsun. 

Summer Saner. 

Winter Koidau. 

Wind Atse. 

Rain Arcorn. 

River Suckener  (small), 

Secargut. 

Mountain Klehl. 

Island Taash  (new). 

Valley Tekalculcul.    Ko- 

nakon. 


olt 


I 


i;r;! 


'•■   :i 


;U4 


Al'i'KM)lX 


Stone,  rock L'orna. 

Tree Chooma. 

Wood K'liut. 

Swamp Mmiacut. 

Uircli-tree Ki'e. 

Spruce Chuma. 

Howl Kluck, 

Beads Neltilla. 

Blanket Tsuda. 

Needle Klalukont ,. 

Bag Mclkella. 

Berries Keeka. 

Fat N'kau. 

Reindeer Anoyer. 

Reindeer  tongue...  Kakloula. 

Moose Tanaiger. 

Rabbit Kaugli. 

Bear Klaousa. 

Marten Carkayousa. 

Mink Tauchkousa. 

Beaver Carka. 

Dog K'lick. 

Wolf Yes. 

Grouse Telcrbucker. 

Duck , Nintaal. 

Goose Titsena. 

Fiph Telamachkur. 

Musquito KIC 

Big Nekau. 

Small Nacoutza. 

Strong Kootclear. 

Old Klokee. 

Young Ataltahai. 

Good Nazoon. 

Bad Satklaka. 

Dead Tult'lrfn. 

Alive Toitala. 

Cold Azoo. 

Warm Azoo    micullah 

(not  cold). 
Many Lorn. 


Far Ncclot. 

Wbo Tewa. 

Where Iloughtce. 

Yesterday Katona. 

To-day Autakut. 

To-morrow Katooman. 

Yes Ila. 

No,  not Micullah. 

Sleep Littern. 

Sit Litto. 

Give Entar. 

Talk Tini. 

Shoot Tcltudla. 

Work Konitinij. 

Now Atakauch. 

By-and-by Kl'at. 

Quick Tow-wer. 

All Etedsun. 

Hungry Kutlakat. 

Enough Koodar. 

Come  here Orni. 

Go  away Antouger. 

How  much? Tenaltai. 

Thank  you Marci. 

How  are  you  ?  (sal- 
utation)  Koyana. 

Don't  know Testini. 


NUMERALS. 

1 Ketleket. 

2 UntC. 

3 TaunkC. 

4 TinikC. 

5 Ketsnala. 

G five  one. 

7 five  two. 

8 five  three. 

9 five  four. 

10 Nekoshnala. 


/  For  some  brief  observations  on  these  dialects,  see  the  writer's  Paper  on  the  '•^Natives 
of  tlie  Yukon  Rivert'^  in  the  "  Transactions  of  the  Ethnological  Society  of  London" 
for  1868, 


Appendix. 


n  1  - 


kotcii-a'-kutciiin  vocajhtlary. 

Words  fro  III    the  l(trif/U(if/o  of  the  Kotrh-a'-Kntvhins — the   fiulinns   of  Yukon 
Jiivci;  at  the  mouth  of  the  Porcupine  liiver,  in  \orthern  Alaska. — Ki;n- 

NICOTT. 

Good  Spirit Ti'h-lifl-gun.  (Lit.,  "My  old  friend;"  supposed  to  in- 
habit llu!  sun  und  nioon,  und  to  Lo  powerless  for  good 
or  evil,) 

Bad  Spirit Chu't-sai".     (Thissecmstobemerelytlio  spirit  of  deatli, 

and  only  for  this  reason  bad.  To  it  go  all  souls,  good 
and  bad.) 

Man Tin'-ji. 

Woman Trin  -joh. 

Boy Ttsi-ah. 

Girl Ni-clilt. 

Infant Triny'In'. 

Father Tib;  my  father,  ti'h-e;  thy  father,  ne-tih;  his  or  her 

father,  ve-tih. 

Mother Ilun  (same  as  river);  my  mother,  na'-ah. 

Husband Kiii-ih  ;  my  husband,  se-ktii-ili ;  thy  husband,  ne-kai-ih; 

her  husband,  v«j-kai-ih. 

Wife At. 

Son  (of  father) Tin'-ji  (lit.,  man).     My  son,  if  spoken  by  the  fnthor,  or 

as  relating  to  him,  se'-tln-ji ;  thy  son,  ne'-tln-ji ;  his 
son,  ve'-tln-ji. 

Son  (of  mother) Zfih  ;  my  son,  si'-ziih  ;  thy  son,  ni'-zuh;  her  son,  vi- 

zuh. 

Daughter  (of  father)  Chi ;  my  daughter,  se'-chi  ;  thy  daughter,  ni-clii ;  his 

daughter,  ve-cbi. 

Daughter  (of  moth-  Ge'-tsi ;  my  daughter,  si'-ge-tsi ;  thy  daughter,  ni-ge- 
er) tsi ;  his  daughter,  vi-ge-tsi. 

Brother  (elder) De  ;  my  elder  brother,  sun'-de ;  thy  elder  brother,  nun- 

de  ;  his  or  her  elder  brother,  viin-de. 

Brother  (younger)..  Chah ;   "young,"  se'-cbah ;  thy   younger  brother,  ne- 

chah  ;   his  or  her  younger  brother,  ve-chah. 

Sister  (elder) Chih ;  my  elder  sister,  se'-clilli ;   thy  elder  sister,  ne- 

chih  ;  his  or  her  elder  sifter,  vG-cliih. 

Sister  (younger) Chidh;  my  younger  sister,  se'-eli!dh  ;  thy  younger  sis- 
ter, ne-cliidh  ;  his  or  her  younger  sister,  ve-chdih. 

An  Indian Tin-ji. 


if 


w 


m 


^'«;M'i 


i    ( 


y4G  Ari'ENDix. 

rcopic Tin-ji. 

Indian  fashion,  or  in 
tlie  niannur  of  In- 

dians Tin-ji-zuh. 

Whito  man Man-o-tllt. 

Ileml Ti-'cliili ;  my  head,  ti'-chih  ;  thy  head,  ni-chih  ;  his  or 

her  liead,  vi-cliih 
Hair E-gOii.     (In  speaking;  of  a  man's  hair,  '•  head-hair," 

chi'h-gOh  is  always  nscd);  my  hair,  >i -ohih-f^eh  ;  thy 

hair  ni-chih-^oh  ;   his  or  her  Iniir,  vi-c  liili-gC-h. 
Face Chi-iH'h;  my  fat-u,  si'-nOh  ;  thy  face,  ni-iioh;  his,  Ijcrs, 

or  its  face,  viiieh. 
Forehead Tchun'-t'tsut ;  my  foreltcad,  sun'-t'tsut ;  thy  forehead, 

nun-t'tsut ;  his,  her,  or  its  forehead,  viin-t'tsut. 
Ear ChC'-tzeh  ;  my  ear,  se -tzeh ;  thine  ear,  Jie'-tzeh;   his, 

her,  or  its  ear,  vC-tzeii. 
Eye Chln'-deii ;  my  eye,  sin'-deh  ;  thine  eye,  nin-deh  ;  his, 

lier,  or  its  eye,  vin-deh. 
Noso Chln'-tsih  ;  my  nose,  sin'-tsih  ;  thy  nose,  nin'-tsih  ;  Ids, 

her,  or  its  nose,  vln-tsih. 
Mouth Che-zhik;  my  mouth, se-zhik  ;  thy  mouth,  ne-zhik;  his, 

her,  or  its  mouth,  ve-zhlk. 
Tongue Chl-cha;  my  tonRue,  sC-cha  ;   thy  tongue,  nC-cha  ;  his, 

her,  or  its  tongue,  vC-cha. 
Tooth Cha'-goh  ;  my  tooth,  sa'-goh  ;  thy  tootli,  na-;!,r)h  ;  his, 

her,  or  its  tooth,  va-goh. 
Beard Chi-te'-ai-geh  ;  my  heard,  sl-te'-ai-geli  ;  thy  beard;  ni- 

te-ai-geh ;   his,  her,  or  its  beard,  vi-te-ai-geh  ;  (ciiin 

hair). 
Neck Che'-koh  ;  my  neck,  se'-koh  ;  thy  neck,  ne-koh  ;  liis,  her, 

or  its  neck,  ve-koh. 
Arm ChC'-kl-In  ;  my  arm,  sC-ki-in  ;  tliy  arm,  nCkl-in;  his, 

her,  or  its  arm,  vC-ki-in, 
Hand Chin-II;  my  hand,  sin'-li  ;  thy  hand,  nin-li  ;  his,  her, 

or  its  hand,  vin-li. 
Fingers La'-t'thuk;  my  fingers,  sin-h"i'-t'thuk  ;  thyfingers,  nin- 

la'-t'thuk  ;  his,  her,  or  its  fingers,  vin-la'-t'thuk. 
Nails ChC'-kaih  ;  my  nails,  sC'-kaih  ;  thy  nails,  nC-kaih  ;  his, 

her,  or  its  nails,  v6-kaih. 
Body ChC'-zuk-taih  ;   my  body,  sfi'-zuk-taih ;   thy  body,  nC- 

zuk-taih  ;  his,  her,  or  its  body,  vC-zuk-taih. 
Belly ChC'-vut;  my  belly,  sC'-vut ;  thy  belly,  nC-vut ;  his,  her, 

or  its  belly,  vC-vut. 
Leg ChC'-dhudh  ;    my  leg,  s6'-dhudh  ;    thy  leg,  nC-dhudh  ; 

his,  her,  or  its  leg,  vC-dhudh. 
Foot ChC'-keh  ;  my  foot,  sC'-keh;  thy  foot,  n6-keh  ;  his,  her, 

or  its  foot,  ve-keh. 


A  i' I' K XI) IX.  ;U7 

Toes ChC'-k»''lM'liI';   my  toes,  si* -kOh-rlii  ;  thy  too*,  iio-kili- 

clii ;   liis,  licr,  or  its  toi-s,  vO-ki'li-clii. 
Bono Tlliim;   my  liono,  sC-illiuii ;  tliy  bono,  nO-t  thuu  ;  his, 

her,  or  its  hone,  vi^-t  thuii. 
Heart Chl'-t'tri;  my  heart,  sl-t  iri;  thy  lieiut,  nl-t  tri ;  his,  hi-r. 

or  its  hcivrt,  vl-t  tri. 
Hlood Tail;  my  hlooc!,  si^ -tiih ;  thy  blood,  nO-tuh ;  his,  lior, 

or  its  blood,  vC-tuh. 

Ohiof Kuh-keh'. 

Warrior (No  name.) 

Friend Se'-clii  ah.     (Lit.,  "My  companion.") 

House ZC'h.     (OriKinally  nn  Indian  lod^o  was  prohnhly  Z<'h.) 

Indian  lodye Ni-vi-fih -/eli.     (Nl-vi-hh  is  ''  /mlt/c  corcr.") 

Villaj,'e Zeh-keli.     (Lit.,  "Many  honses,"  or  "many  lodRos.") 

Kettle Ti-uh.     (Nearly  likeyij^/icr — apot  orcup  is  clin"-ti-ah.J 

Arrow Ki'-O. 

Bow Uhl -ti". 

Axe Ta-I''h. 

Knife Ksih ;  my  knife,  si'-rzih;   thy  knife,  nl'-rzih;   his,  or 

her  knife,  vl'-rzih. 

Canoe T'-trih 

I'addlo Tah-r'li.     (Very  nearly  the  same  as  axe.) 

Boat T'trih-eiuyh.     (Lit.,  *'Big  canoo.") 

Haft Ilka". 

Indian  shoes Keh-trlh. 

Bread Kli'-uth-chu. 

Flonr Kii'-iifh. 

Ashes Kli'-nth. 

Earth Kli-nth.     (Flonr,  ashes,  and  earth  called  precisely  tiie 

same  word.) 
Pipe Se-tld-chI;  my  pipe,  set'-sc-tld'-chl.     (Lit.,  "Tobacco 

stone.") 

Tobacco Se'-tld. 

Sky Zi'-O. 

Horizon ...  Zi-e-ba"h. 

Cloud K'koh. 

Sun Drin-ur'-zlh. 

Moon Tudh-ur-zih. 

Star Su". 

Day Drin. 

Light A-t'tn'. 

Night Hkah. 

Darkness Tudh. 

Morning Vun.    (Almost  the  same  as  "  Lake.") 

Evening Na-chi-ai".    (Lit.,  "Sunset.") 

Spring Tai". 

Summer S'sln. 


34  S 


Appendix, 


t'r 


Autumn Ilkain'-sun. 

Winter Hkaih. 

Wind A'kh-traih. 

Lightning Nali-tun'-kun.     (Lit.,  "Thunder-fire") 

Thunder Nah-tun'. 

Rain Tsin. 

Snow Zuli. 

Hail Cliln-luh. 

Fire Ko". 

Aurora  Borealis Ya-kai". 

Water Chu". 

Ice T'tun.    (A  fragment  of  ice  or  floating  ice  is  Thlu.) 

Land,  Earth Nun. 

Sea ChO^-choh.    ("Big  water.") 

River Hun. 

Lake Vun. 

Valley Ku-na'-tri. 

Mountain D  dliuh. 

Island Njuh. 

Stone,Rock Chi. 

Copper Tlie'tsra". 

Iron Chi-t>ih. 

Tree Tc-chun'. 

Wood ....  Tc-ch  un'  or  Tsruh. 

Leaf Clilt-un. 

Bark Ba-tri.      (The  bark  of  the  birch,  however,  is  always 

K'kih.) 

Grass K'kloh. 

Poplar T'toli.     (Populus  tremuloides,  T'toh-zoh ;  P.  balsami- 

fera  (?)  Ttoh.) 

Birch Hkii -t'toh  ;  alder,  koh. 

Willow Kaih-tluk'.  (This  is  the  common  upland  Avillow ;  an- 
other species  on  the  lowlands,  and  of  wliich  the  In- 
dians sometimes  eat  the  soft  now  wood,  is  kaih-tzii'h 
— perhaps  the  true  generic  uumtj  for  willow  is  kaih.) 

Spruce  T'tsi-veh'. 

Flesli,  meat S'sih  ;  salted  meat,  sho-vi-lCt'. 

Dog Hklai"  ;  a  small  dog,  thlug-a-tsul';  my  dog,  si' -Ilk  ;  thy 

dog,  ni-lik;  his  or  her  dog,  vi-llk. 

Buffalo,  fossil Ah-kih':  musk-ox  and  domestic  cattle,  ah-kih' (same). 

Bear  (Black)  S'soh  ;   grizzly  hoar,  s'sih  ;  white  hoar,  sih-ta'-kaih  ;  red 

bear  (cinnamon  bear),  s'suh-ta-tslk'. 

Wolf Zoh. 

Reindeer Vut-zaih'. 

Moose Tin-ji-y uk'. 

Beaver Tsc. 

Fox Nu-kudh',  or  na-ku"dh  ;  black  fox,  na-kudh'-rzi". 


illj 


Appp:xdix. 


349 


Squirrel K'kluk'k.     (Sciiirus  Ilndsonious.) 

Marmot T'thuli.     (Spcrmophilus  I'arryi.) 

Rabbit KOh. 

Fly TI". 

Musquito Clilli. 

Bird Tzih'-t.soh  or  ni'iin  ;  a  small  bird,  as  a  robin,  blackbird, 

or  smaller,  tzib'-tsuli;  a  large  bird,  as  a  duck,  a 
grouse,  or  larger,  ni'-iin.  In  speaking,  the  distinc- 
tion is  always  made. 

'  -i Cha'-h'g6h;   duck's   egg,   te-tsuD'-hgOli ;    goose-egg, 

hkeli'-h'gOb. 

Feather Tsuth. 

Wing Chut-sun. 

Duck Te-tsun'. 

Goose Ilkeh. 

Fish T'thluk  or  chi'-e-luk. 

Salmon Thluk.     This  is  the  large  salmon— a  smaller  species  is 

shih. 

Name Vor-zih. 

Affection     (I     love 

him) Vat-i'-ni-thun;  I  love  vou,  net-i -ui-thun.  » 

White Ta-kaih. 

Black Ta'-rzi". 

lied Ta-tslk'. 

Blue No  name,  they  call  it  "black." 

Yellow Ta-tlOh'. 

Green Tah'-tloh. 

Greaj; Ni-tslh  or  choh.     Ni'-tslh  is  applied  to  pronouns,  and 

as  we  would  use  "ia-  lar(je" — as  your  dog  is  large, 
ni'-llk-ni'-tsih.  Choh  is  applied  to  nouns;  in  other 
cases,  as  '■'■  big-lake,'''  \im-c\w\\. 

Small NCt'-tsul  or  tsul.     {Is  small),  ndt'-sul,  is  applied  liki' 

nCt'-tsIh  ;  tsul  like  choh.  A  little,  applied  to  quan- 
tity, kwln'-tsul. 

Strong Ni-t'aih'. 

Old Sai"-yi-dhClh-hkai. 

Young Ke-cbit-e'dha'. 

Good Nir-zili'.    (Nearly  the  same  as  your  knife,  nl'rzili.) 

Bad Ni-zin'-kwah. 

Handsome Me-go-na-thllh. 

Ugly Tra-rud'i-udh. 

Alive Kon'-daih. 

Dead Ehl-clii".    (Killed,  trl-dhi^hl-kai".) 

Cold Nl-k'kudh.     (Cold  water,  chfi"-ni-k'kudh'.) 

Warm Ni-dha'.     (Hot  water,  chu"-ni-dliu'.) 

I Si.    (iVIine,  si-set'-sun. ) 

Thou Nun. 


I,'  '■" 


■'(,? 


350 


Appendix. 


.^;* 


iiSi.. 


He Tfi-tiin. 

Wc Nakli'-hun. 

Ye Nfikh'-hiin.    (Precisely  the  same  as  "we.'') 

They Kfi-ta'-t'tun.    (Lit.,  "The  others."; 

This CIiI. 

That Tfi'-hgiit. 

All Tiu-thuk'. 

Many,  much Lai". 

Who? Cho'-ti-Cn?    (Whose?  cho-ti-Pn-vm'  snn  ?) 

Where? Kwe'-e-chi?    (Lit.,  "  Whure  isit?" — wliereis  my  ])ipe';:' 

sit'-se-tlcr-clii  kwe'-e-chi  ?) 

Near Nuh'-k'kmlh  ;  far,  ni-zhit'. 

To-day Chfik-dsrln'. 

Yesterday K'kah'-tai". 

To-morrow Yih'-kah. 

Yes A-lifi. 

No -. No-kwa'. 

Sit Dhin'-tih. 

Stand Ni'-ne-dhut. 

Come A'-ne. 


f- 


4 

iM 


NUMERALS. 


''     !: 


1 Chih'-thluk. 

2 N«:''-kai". 

3 Ti'-Ik. 

4 TruiR. 

5 Chih'-tluk.un'-li. 

6 Nih'-ki-tr-ik. 

7 Etse-de'-tse-ne-kai". 

.'3 Nih'-kl-tang'. 


9 Mon'-chndh-ne-koh'-kwa. 

10 Clii-tldnk'-cho-li-in. 

1*1 Clii-thlak'-vl-du-tuk. 

12 Ne'-knl"-vi.(hi-tuk. 

13 Ti -ik-vi-da-tuk. 

20 NO-kai"-chr)-  ti'-In , 

30 Ti-ik-cho-ti'-In. 


■ 
i 


Appendix. 


851 


VI.— NOTES  ON  THE  GEOLOGY  OF  THE  YUKON. 

My  companion  on  tlie  Yukon,  ]Mr.  Dall,  puhlisluMl  a  few 
notes  on  tlio  geology  of  tlie  region  in  "  Sillinian's  American 
Journal"  for  January,  18G8,  some  extracts  from  which  are 
liere  given. 

Speaking  of  tlie  mountains  known  as  the"  I J  am  parts,"  etc., 
he  says :  "  They  were  entirely  composed  of  azoic  rocks,  of 
whicli  a  silvery  greenisli  rock  of  talcose(/^>/>tv^;r/«cr,  but  very 
hard,  pre<lomiiiates.  Quartz  in  seams,  slates  and  (piartzite 
rocks,  are  abundant,  and  a  rock  resembling  granite,  but  with 
a  superfluity  of  feldspar,  and  no  mica,  is  rtire.  Tlie  slates 
generally  have  a  north-westerly  dip. 

"True  granite  a])pears  only  once, near  the  termination  of 
the  Ramparts,  and  forms  a  ledge  extending  across  the  river, 
and  making  a  ra})id,  not,  however,  a  dangerous  one.  Fifty 
miles  or  less  below  the  rapid  the  Ramparts  terminate ;  tlu> 
Tanana  River  (or  River  of  Mountains)  comes  in  ;  and  from 
tliis  point  to  the  mouth,  as  a  rule,  tlie  river  is  wide,  with  the 
ricfht  bank  hiuli  and  the  left  bank  low,  but  occasionallv  with 
mountains  in  the  distance,  or  a  bluff  on  the  river.  Fi'om  the 
end  of  the  Ramparts  to  Co-yukuk  River  (250  miles)  the  right 
bank  presents,  in  their  order,  cor.glomerate,  quartzite,  bluffs 
of  yellow  gravel,  blue  talcose  slate  conglonu'rate,  hard  blue 
slates  and  quartzose  rocks,  blue  sandstones  and  a  soft  green 
rock  (plutonic),  with  light  stellate  s])ots  in  it.  Granite  is 
very  rare,  and  mica  also.  I  have  found  f'no  specimens  oi' 
obsidian  on  the  beach,  and,  just  above  the  Ramjtarts,  pebbles 
of  Niagara  limestone,  with  its  characteristic  fossils.  From 
the  bend  we  find  the  following  strata  :  blue  sandstone  (un- 
fossiliferous),  brown  sandstone  in  l)eds  at  least  500  feet  thick, 
containing  vegetable  remains  in  sonu'  layers,  and,  rarely,  casts 
of  mollusca — all,  as  far  as  T  have  collected,  LtniullUnuDichH. 
Thirty  miles  below  the  bend  is  a  small  contorted  seam  of  coal 


352 


Appendix. 


W:  '•': 


if 


I?,  ; ;  , 


•1 


mi 


between  two  thin  layers  of  sliale,  containing  very  poor  vege- 
table remains,  and  underlaid  by  the  brown  sandstone  whicli 
overlies  the  blue  sandstone,  which,  in  its  turn,  I  think,  covers 
the  blue  slates.  The  coal  seam  is  very  limited,  being  on  the 
extreme  j)oint  of  a  bluff,  and  the  greater  part  of  it  has  been 
denuded.  The  fossils  are  very  poor,  vegetable,  and  resemble 
fuci.  The  coal  is  of  good  quality,  bituminous,  non-caking, 
and  leaves  a  gray  ash.     The  seam  is  sixteen  inches  wide. 

"  The  sandstones  continue  dowr  the  river  some  forty-five 
miles,  more  generally  with  a  N.W.  dip,  and  always  in  gentle 
undulation,  sometimes  continuous  for  miles,  and  often  broken 
short  off.  Below,  the  rocks  for  300  miles  are  slates  and  erup- 
tive rocks  of  a  i)ink  color,  sometimes  containing  spathose 
minerals.  The  formation  chc.  ges  at  the  Russian  Mission  from 
hard  bine  slate  to  a  volcanic  rock,  full  of  almond-shaped  cavi- 
ties, which  are  empty ;  but  certain  parts  of  the  rock  are  quite 
solid.  It  is  black,  and  contains  minute  crystals  (of  oli- 
vine ?),  [Tt  is  roughly  columnar  on  Stuart's  Island,  Norton 
Sound,  in  five-sided  columns  on  the  beach.]  From  this  to 
the  sea  the  banks  are  mostly  low ;  but  when  tliey  approach 
the  river  they  are  invaribly  of  blue,  hard,  slaty  sandstone,  or 
sandy  slate,  the  rock  passing  from  one  into  the  other  imper- 
ceptibly. This  formation  extends  to  St.  Michael's,  nearly 
where  the  before-mentioned  volcanic  rock  takes  its  place,  and 
continues  up  the  shore  of  Norton  Sound  some  thirty  miles, 
when  it  is  replaced  by  the  hard  slates  and  sandstone,  and  I 
have  followed  them  up  for  thirty  miles  more  to  Unalachleet 
River.  Here  \ou  cross  in  winter  to  the  Yukon,  200  miles  of 
portage. 

"  The  entir'^  country  is  sprinkled  over  with  remains  of  pli- 
ocene animals,  (?)  Elej^has^  Ovihos  mo.9chatm,  etc.  Beds  of 
marl  exist  near  Fort  Yukon,  consisting  of  shells  (fresh-water) 
still  found  living  in  the  vicinity.  The  Kotto  River,  empty- 
ing into  the  Yukon  above  Fort  Yukon,  is  held  in  superstitious 
dread  by  the  Indians,  on  account  of  the  immense  number  of 
fossil  bones  existing  there.  The  inglutalic  River,  emptying 
into  Norton  Sound,  has  a  somewhat  similar  reputation. 

"  I  have  carefully  examined  the  country  over  which  I  have 
passed  for  glacial  indications,  and  have  not  found  any  effects 
attributalde  to  such  ao;encies. 


Appendix. 


353 


or  veae- 
e  which 
:,  covers 
<;  on  the 
las  been 
esemble 
•cakinu, 
ade, 
rty-five 
I  gentle 

broken 
ul  erup- 
pathose 
on  from 
3cl  cavi- 
■e  quite 
(of  oli- 
Norton 
this  to 
)proach 
tone,  or 

imper- 

nearly 
-ce,  and 

miles, 
',  and  1 
achleet 
liles  of 

5  of  pli- 
eds  of 
water) 
L'mpty- 
titious 
ber  of 
ptying 


My  own  opinion,  from  what  I  have  seen  of  the  west 
coast,  though  yet  unproved,  is  that  the  glacier  field  never  ex- 
tended m  these  regions  to  the  westward  of  the  Rocky  Mount- 
ams,  although  small  single  glaciers  have  and  still  do  exist 
between  spurs  of  the  mountains  which  approach  the  coast 
iVo  boulders  such  as  are  common  in  New  England,  no  scratch- 
es or  other  marks  of  ice-action,  have  been  observed  by  anv 
of  our  party,  though  carefully  looked  for." 

Z 


THE     END. 


I  have 
effects 


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